The United Nations Millennium Project Taskforce on Water and Sanitation puts the total global cost of achieving the water and sanitation targets at between $75bn and $143bn. The UNDP Human Development Report suggests that aid will need to increase by $4bn a year, with half of this allocated to sub-Saharan Africa, to have a chance of reaching MDG targets. The problem at the moment is largely rural, but as towns and cities of the developing world grow, there will also be a huge need for finance to lay pipes, provide connections and build sewers, particularly for slums. It is clear that we all need to do more.
This is why the UK has agreed that half of their direct aid to poor countries should be spent on basic services, including water and sanitation, and why they will double their support to water and sanitation in Africa to £95 million a year by 2008 and double it again to £200 million a year by 2011. The UK will continue to work with all their partners, including NGOs, who do so much to help provide water and sanitation to the poorest.
