Universal access to adequate sanitation is a fundamental need and human right. Clean water in sufficient quantity is also of paramount importance for agriculture, industry and the environment and plays a crucial role in providing climate-related ecosystem services. Water is complex because it is linked to almost everything in the world. Clean, accessible water for all is an essential part of the world we want to live in and there is sufficient fresh water on the planet to achieve this. However, many people remain without access to improved drinking water. Joint Monitoring Programme progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2017: Billions of people have gained access to basic drinking water and sanitation services since 2000, but these services do not necessarily provide safe water and sanitation.Many homes, healthcare facilities and schools also still lack soap and water for handwashing. Without access to clean water, toilets and good hygiene practices, the risk of contracting easily preventable diseases, such as diarrhoea, acute watery diarrhea, cholera, and respiratory infections, is high. New World Bank research from 18 countries shows urgent action on water and sanitation is key to tackle poverty . Almost every country struggling to provide its people with clean water also has a huge gap in access between richest and poorest. The water crisis is a health crisis. More than 840,000 people die each year from water-related disease. That still leaves about 663 million without sanitary water. In FY16-18, the World Bank contributed to providing more than 47 million people with access to an improved water source and provided more than 24 million people with access to improved sanitation facilities.Below are some specific results from the World Bank-supported projects in countries. Water is at the core of sustainable development and is critical for socio-economic development, energy and food production, healthy ecosystems and for human survival itself. Almost 2 in 3 people who need safe drinking water survive on less than $2 a day. Unfortunately, a large percentage of the global population is, even in this day and time, deprived of basic necessities, as is evident from the countries with least access to clean water. As collecting water is often the responsibility of girls and women – and it can be very dangerous. But complexity should not hinder understanding: Water is a precondition for human existence and for the sustainability of the planet. Safe and readily available water is important for public health, whether it is used for drinking, domestic use, food production or recreational purposes. If water withdrawals exceed available resources (i.e. Securing access for all would go a long way in reducing illness and death, especially among children. Since 2000, 2.1 billion people have gained access to basic sanitation, such as flush toilets or latrine with a slab which are not shared with other households. Making water safe But complexity should not hinder understanding: Water is a precondition for human existence and for the sustainability of the planet. Water stress does not insinuate that a country has water shortages, but does give an indication of how close it maybe be to exceeding a water basin’s renewable resources. Access to safe drinking water is measured by the percentage of the population having access to and using improved drinking water sources. On these pages, explore the multiple dimensions of water and sanitation. Access to water is a basic human need. For instance, in Niger, only 41% of the poorest people have access to water, while 72% of its wealthiest do. Water is complex because it is linked to almost everything in the world. Nearly 2.6 billion people have gained access to clean drinking water in the last 25 years. Water, sanitation and hygiene has the potential to prevent at least 9.1% of the global disease burden and 6.3% of all deaths 1.The impact of clean water technologies on public health in the U.S. is estimated to have had a rate of return of 23 to 1 for investments in water filtration and chlorination during the first half of the 20th century 5.