The problem of water scarcity and the lack of drinking water is taking on dramatic proportions watersurpassing any previous pessimistic estimate. According to new research published in the scientific journal Science, at least 4.4 billion people – that is 50% of the world’s population – no longer have safe access to drinking water. This number is more than double the one they had made public in 2020, in their own research, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNESCO.

But even this number may not reflect the true dimensions of the problem. Research leader Esther Greenwood from the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) points out that “some information is still missing, but the evidence we have so far points to huge levels of contamination in drinking water. The actual numbers may be even more alarming.”

Water contamination cannot be ruled out due to natural causes, such as the morphology of the soil. This happens, for example, in 80% of cases of arsenic contamination. In other cases, however, water is contaminated by chemicals released in commercial and industrial activities.

The problem is exacerbated in the poorest countries

The figures gathered so far ring a bell for the 2/3rds of the population with middle and lower incomes. According to the research, about 1.2 billion people in Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka) are forced to use unsuitable water. Even more dramatic are the dimensions of the problem in sub-Saharan Africa, where 80% of the population does not have access to safe drinking water. Shortages are also observed in Oceania, with the exception of Australia and New Zealand.

As Esther Greenwood explains, the researchers took into account previous data from the JMP (Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene) research project, which formed the basis for the World Health Organization and UNESCO estimates, but attempted to formulate a more complete picture, taking into account satellite images and data obtained from household surveys.

“These data are collected, as a rule, every 5 or 10 years,” says the ETH researcher. “When we talk about ‘safe access’ to drinking water there is an issue. You can do continuous sampling to detect E.coli in drinking water and one day have values ​​that show you that the water is not a problem, but the next day have values ​​that show that the water is defiled and unfit’.

For healthy adults, E.coli infection after swallowing contaminated water or eating contaminated food usually has mild symptoms, which soon resolve. However, for young children, the elderly or people with other health problems the infection can cause serious complications, even leading to kidney failure.

Greece, USA and other developed countries

Another methodological issue arising from research is the subjective fear of infection, which often does not correspond to, or at least is not recorded in, the objective data. Greece is mentioned as an example, where in relevant surveys more than half of the population expresses fears that they will suffer contamination from drinking unsuitable water in the next two years. In reality, however, the percentage of the population that actually states that they have been infected does not exceed 5%.

As Sarah Young, a researcher at the American Midwestern University explains, even in the US or other developed countries there is a strong fear about the quality of the water, but also about the ability of the authorities to deal with possible problems. “Certainly in the U.S. the big picture is that drinking water is not dangerous,” Young points out. “And yet, in this country there are tens of millions of people who are marginalized and do not have access to the water supply network. Even within developed countries there are huge inequalities”.

Edited by: Yiannis Papadimitriou