Water policy

Good governance is the basis for sustainable water management and for safe water and sanitation.

Access to clean drinking water and sanitation has been recognised as a human right since 2010. The international Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also call for access to water, sanitation and hygiene for all and the protection of water resources (SDG 6).

More than 2 billion people (25 per cent of the global population) currently lack access to safe drinking water, while 46 per cent of the world’s population – some 3.6 billion people – live without safe sanitation. Throughout the world, around 80 per cent of wastewater is discharged without treatment into the ecosystems and back into the water cycle – a critical situation, particularly in view of climate change and growing urbanisation. Inadequate water supply and wastewater treatment are partly responsible for poverty, economic stagnation and disease. According to the UN, almost 1,000 children die every day from diarrhoea caused by dirty drinking water. Without a sufficient supply of water, the goals of food security, climate adaptation and regional stability cannot be achieved.

Unclear responsibilities, poor institutional framework conditions, corruption and a lack of accountability affect the water supply in many places: necessary investments are not implemented efficiently and do not reach the poor, laws are not enforced, and infrastructure is not maintained. In addition to investments, long-term reforms in the water sector are needed to change this situation.

Gender equality is a key factor in the water sector. In eight out of ten households in our partner countries, women and girls are traditionally responsible for obtaining water for the household. In the absence of infrastructure near to their homes, this prevents millions of young women and girls from accessing education and taking part more extensively in social and economic life. German development policy particularly promotes the involvement of women in decision-making in the water sector.

On behalf of the Federal Government, GIZ is supporting its partners in modernising their water policies and their laws on water supply and wastewater treatment. It promotes reforms at national, regional and local level.

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) plays a key role here. It takes equal account of environmental, economic and social objectives in water management. The strengthening of administrative, financing and operational structures is another important area. GIZ applies the principles of good governance: accountability, transparency and participation. It aims to ensure that above all disadvantaged population groups benefit from an improved supply. At the same time, GIZ helps establish regulatory authorities for efficiency and sustainability in water management.