water issues in developing countries water issues in developing countries water issues in developing countries include scarcity of drinking water, poor infrastructure for water and sanitation access, water pollution, and low levels of water security. over one billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to clean water. the main barriers to addressing water problems in developing nations include poverty, costs of infrastructure, and poor governance. the effects of climate change on the water cycle can make these problems worse. woman washing dishes at water's edge in bangladeshi village the contamination of water remains a significant issue because of unsanitary social practices that pollute water sources. almost 80% of disease in developing countries is caused by poor water quality and other water-related issues that cause deadly health conditions such as cholera, malaria, and diarrhea. it is estimated that diarrhea takes the lives of 1.5 million children every year, majority of which are under the age of five. access to freshwater is unevenly distributed across the globe, with more than two billion people live in countries with significant water stress. according to un-water, by 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in areas across the globe with complete water scarcity. populations in developing countries attempt to access potable water from a variety of sources, such as groundwater, aquifers, or surface waters, which can be easily contaminated. freshwater access is also constrained by insufficient wastewater and sewage treatment. progress has been made over recent decades to improve water access, but billions still live in conditions with very limited access to consistent and clean drinking water. problems water scarcity people need fresh water for survival, personal care, agriculture, industry, and commerce. the 2019 un world water development report noted that about four billion people, representing nearly two-thirds of the world population, experience severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year. with rising demand, the quality and supply of water have diminished. water use has been increasing worldwide by about 1% per year since the 1980s. global water demand is expected to continue increasing at a similar rate until 2050, accounting for an increase of 20–30% above 2019 usage levels. the steady rise in use has principally been led by surging demand in developing countries and emerging economies. per capita water use in the majority of these countries remains far below water use in developed countries—they are merely catching up. agriculture (including irrigation, livestock, and aquaculture) is by far the largest water consumer, accounting for 69% of annual water withdrawals globally. agriculture's share of total water use is likely to fall in comparison with other sectors, but it will remain the largest user overall in terms of both withdrawal and consumption. industry (including power generation) accounts for 19% and households for 12%. this section is an excerpt from water scarcity. water scarcity (closely related to water stress or water crisis) is the lack of fresh water resources to meet the standard water demand. there are two types of water scarcity: physical water scarcity and economic water scarcity.: 560 physical water scarcity is where there is not enough water to meet all demands, including that needed for ecosystems to function. arid areas for example central and west asia, and north africa often suffer from physical water scarcity. on the other hand, economic water scarcity is the result of a lack of investment in infrastructure or technology to draw water from rivers, aquifers, or other water sources, or insufficient human capacity to meet the demand for water.: 560 much of sub-saharan africa has economic water scarcity.: 11 there is enough freshwater available globally and averaged over the year to meet demand. as such, water scarcity is caused by a mismatch between when and where people need water, and when and where it is available. the main driving forces for the rising global demand for water are the increasing world population, improving living standards, changing consumption patterns (for example a dietary shift toward more animal products), and expansion of irrigated agriculture. climate change (including droughts or floods), deforestation, increased water pollution and wasteful use of water can also cause insufficient water supply. scarcity varies over time as a result of natural hydrological variability, but varies even more so as a function of prevailing economic policy, planning and management approaches. water scarcity assessments need to incorporate information on green water (soil moisture), water quality, environmental flow requirements, globalization, and virtual water trade. there is a need for collaboration between hydrological, water quality, aquatic ecosystem science and social science communities in water scarcity assessment. "water stress" has been used as parameter to measure water scarcity, for example in the context of sustainable development goal 6. half a billion people live in areas with severe water scarcity throughout the year, and around four billion people face severe water scarcity at least one month per year. half of the world's largest cities experience water scarcity. there are 2.3 billion people who reside in nations with water scarcities, which means that each individual receives less than 1 700 m3 of water annually. however, 380 billion m3 of municipal wastewater are produced globally each year. water pollution further information: water pollution women fetching polluted water in ghana after accounting for availability or access, water quality can reduce the amount of water for consumption, sanitation, agriculture, and industrial purposes. acceptable water quality depends on its intended purpose: water that is unfit for human consumption could still be used in industrial or agriculture applications. parts of the world are experiencing extensive deterioration of water quality, rendering the water unfit for agricultural or industrial use. for example, in china, 54% of the hai river basin surface water is so polluted that it is considered un-usable. safe water is defined as potable water that will not harm the consumer. it is one of the eight millennium development goals: between 1990 and 2015 to "reduce by half the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation." even having access to an ‘improved water source’ does not guarantee the water's quality, as it could lack proper treatment and become contaminated during transport or home storage. a study by the world health organization (who) found that estimates of safe water could be overestimated if accounting for water quality, especially if the water sources were poorly maintained.runoff from development along the river in pune, india could contribute to reduced water quality. polluted drinking water can lead to debilitating or deadly water-borne diseases, such as fever, cholera, dysentery, diarrhea and others. unicef cites fecal contamination and high levels of naturally occurring arsenic and fluoride as two of the world's major water quality concerns. approximately 71% of all illnesses in developing countries are caused by poor water and sanitation conditions. worldwide, contaminated water leads to 4,000 diarrhea deaths a day in children under 5.child standing next to a well pump in a bangladeshi village. many such wells have naturally high levels of arsenic. however, gaps in wastewater treatment (the amount of wastewater to be treated is greater than the amount that is actually treated) represent the most significant contribution to water pollution and water quality deterioration. in the majority of the developing world, most of the collected wastewater is returned to surface waters directly without treatment, reducing the water's quality. in china, only 38% of china's urban wastewater is treated, and although 91% of china's industrial waste water is treated, it still releases extensive toxins into the water supply. the amount of possible wastewater treatment can also be compromised by the networks required to bring the wastewater to the treatment plants. it is estimated that 15% of china's wastewater treatment facilities are not being used to capacity due to a limited pipe network to collect and transport wastewater. in são paulo, brazil, a lack of sanitation infrastructure results in the pollution of the majority of its water supply and forces the city to import over 50% of its water from outside watersheds. polluted water increases a developing country's operating costs, as lower quality water is more expensive to treat. in brazil, polluted water from the guarapiranga reservoir costs $0.43 per m3 to treat to usable quality, compared to only $0.10 per m3 for water coming from the cantareira mountains. this section is an excerpt from water pollution. water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities, so that it negatively affects its uses.: 6 water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. water pollution results when contaminants mix with these water bodies. contaminants can come from one of four main sources: sewage discharges, industrial activities, agricultural activities, and urban runoff including stormwater. water pollution is either surface water pollution or groundwater pollution. this form of pollution can lead to many problems, such as the degradation of aquatic ecosystems or spreading water-borne diseases when people use polluted water for drinking or irrigation. another problem is that water pollution reduces the ecosystem services (such as providing drinking water) that the water resource would otherwise provide. sources of water pollution are either point sources or non-point sources. point sources have one identifiable cause, such as a storm drain, a wastewater treatment plant or an oil spill. non-point sources are more diffuse, such as agricultural runoff. pollution is the result of the cumulative effect over time. pollution may take the form of toxic substances (e.g., oil, metals, plastics, pesticides, persistent organic pollutants, industrial waste products), stressful conditions (e.g., changes of ph, hypoxia or anoxia, increased temperatures, excessive turbidity, changes of salinity), or the introduction of pathogenic organisms. contaminants may include organic and inorganic substances. a common cause of thermal pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power plants and industrial manufacturers. water security this section is an excerpt from water security. a society with a high level of water security makes the most of water's benefits for humans and ecosystems, and limits the risk of destructive impacts associated with water. the risks include too much water (flood), too little water (drought and water scarcity) or poor quality (polluted) water. a more detailed definition of water security is: "the reliable availability of an acceptable quantity and quality of water for health, livelihoods and production, coupled with an acceptable level of water-related risks". access to wash services (water, sanitation and hygiene) is one component of achieving water security. some organizations use the term water security more narrowly for water supply aspects only. policy-makers and water managers seek to achieve water security outcomes that address economic, environmental and social equity concerns. these outcomes can include increasing economic welfare, enhancing social equity and reducing water related risks. there are interactions and trade-offs between the different outcomes.: 13 planners often consider water security outcomes for different groups in society also during the design of climate change adaptation strategies.: 19–21 managing water safety to address water scarcity, organizations have focused on increasing the supply of fresh water, mitigating its demand, and enabling reuse and recycling. clean water plans further information: wash according to the who, consistent access to a safe drinking-water supply is attainable by establishing a system of wsps, or water safety plans, which determine the quality of water supply's to ensure they are safe for consumption. the water safety plan manual, published in 2009 by the who and the international water association, offers guidance to water utilities (or similar entities) as they develop wsps. this manual provides information to help water utilities assess their water system, develop monitoring systems and procedures, manage their plan, carry out periodic review of the wsp, and to review the wsp following an incident. the wsp manual also includes three case studies drawn from wsp initiatives in three countries/regions. alternative sources main article: reclaimed water utilizing wastewater from one process to be used in another process where lower-quality water is acceptable is one way to reduce the amount of wastewater pollution and simultaneously increase water supplies. recycling and reuse techniques can include the reuse and treatment of wastewater from industrial plant wastewater or treated service water (from mining) for use in lower quality uses. similarly, wastewater can be re-used in commercial buildings (e.g. in toilets) or for industrial applications (e.g. for industrial cooling). reducing water pollution further information: water pollution despite