In the 25 years since the World Health Organization/Unicef Joint Monitoring Programme began to document the world’s access to drinking water and sanitation, a lot has changed.
91 percent of the global population now has piped water onto its premises or another form of adequate drinking water, up from 76 percent in 1990.
Now 1 in 3 people are still without adequate sanitation facilities, down from half.
Access to drinking water in Pakistan has increased from 86 percent in 1990 to 91 percent in 2015. This is two-thirds of target met.
In urban areas today, 94 percent Pakistanis have access to drinking water. In rural areas, this access is 90 percent.
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Access to sanitation in Pakistan has increased from 24 percent in 1990 to 64 percent in 2015. This is considered: target met.
In urban areas today, 83 percent Pakistanis have access to sanitation. In rural areas, this access is 51 percent.
Here are some other worries or indices on Pakistan:
Pakistani nationality ranks second least valuable in the world
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Pakistan 15th most powerful military in the world
Nuclear warheads down worldwide, up in South Asia
In World Bank’s 2016 Doing Business Report, Pakistan ranks 138
Pakistan at rock bottom in Human Capital Index 2015
Pakistan world’s 14th most fragile country
Pakistan ranks 5th in terrorism-affected countries list
Will Pakistan risk falling behind when S Asia ups economic game
Pakistan #106 in Good Country Index
Above: Urban and Rural Divide in Water
Below: Urban and Rural Divide in Sanitation
The bright side of Pakistan economy
Pakistan’s GDP PPP crosses $1 trillion, ranks 25th in world
Pakistan’s economic future in 11 photos
Pakistan is the world’s fastest-growing Muslim economy: The Economist
Pakistan is now an Emerging Market
Pakistan included in VARP, the new BRICS
Pakistan becomes full member of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
Pakistan GDP to grow by 5.5% by 2020: IMF
Pakistan GDP to grow at 5.5% in 2018: World Bank
Pakistan petrol prices 18th lowest in the world
Pakistan at $300B is world’s 40th largest economy
Worried about Pakistan’s $73B debt? You must see this
In a corruption-riddled world, Pakistan is better than one-third countries: TI
Pakistan among top 10 global improvers in World Bank’s 2017 Doing Business rankings
Pakistan beats India in economic freedom ranking
Definitions
Water
Piped water on premises: piped water on premises
Alternative adequate water sources: public taps, tube wells or boreholes, protected dug wells, protected springs, rainwater collection
Surface water: sources are river, dam, lake, pond, canal, irrigation channels
Unprotected water: unprotected dug wells or springs, tanker trucks, cart with small tank/drum (water vendor)
Sanitation
Adequate facilities: facilities likely to ensure hygienic separation of human excrete from human contact; includes flush/pour flush to piped sewer system, septic tank composting toilet, ventilated improved pit latrines or pit latrine with a slab.
Shared facilities: sanitation facilities of an otherwise acceptable type shared with other households.
Other unhygienic facilities: facilities don’t ensure hygienic separation of human excrete from human contact; includes pit latrines without a slab or platform, hanging latrines and bucket latrines.
Open defecation: when human feces are disposed of in fields, forests, bushes, open bodies of water, other open spaces or disposed of with solid waste.
Target: 50% or more of those with inadequate water or sanitation in 1990 have adequate conditions in 2015
You can explore, country by country, access to water and sanitation and see what’s changed since 1990.
WSJ Interactive Infographics: By Dov Friedman, Tynan DeBold, Rani Molla and Carlos Tovar
As a side dish: Only 0.5% of the earth’s water is suitable for human consumption. UN data
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Water is expensive, it costs much to develop and maintain the system, we are neither paying nor are willing to pay for the actual price of water.