Bibliothèque

MDG monitoring for urban water supply and sanitation
Catching up with reality in Sub-Saharan Africa

In 2004, a detailed nationwide assessment in all settlements of the urban poor in Zambia revealed that sustainable access to safe water in the urban setting diverges substantially from the official figures, and had to be drastically reduced from 90% in 2002 (official data) to 47% (outcome of the baseline study). This is drastic because urban water supply coverage actually needs to be increased by 26.5% (to 73.5%) by 2015, instead of by 5% (to 95%), as official data suggest, in order to reach the MDG water target. The results are most likely to be similar in other African countries, once criteria are applied which comply with the MDG target specified above.

Deviations as described above may mislead decision-makers when they plan and elaborate strategies to reach the MDGs.

Bibliographic information:
Schaefer, D., Werchota, R., Dölle, K. (2007). MDG monitoring for urban water supply and sanitation - Catching up with reality in Sub-Saharan Africa. GTZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit GmbH).

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