Latest progress

Water is necessary for all life on the planet. It symbolises purity and cleanliness in the Bible and much traditional thought. When it becomes dirty and unclean, it causes suffering. The global effort to change the lives of people without access to safe drinking water has made a great difference. Watch this video of a Tearfund project that has helped transform lives [1].

It is just one of a number of similar stories, which add up to successful attainment of this part of MDG7 in many countries [2]. However, for different reasons, some countries are failing to progress and develop in this area. Bangladesh has made great improvements in supplying clean water, but is likely to miss the targets. This is due to the discovery of naturally occurring arsenic in groundwater wells across the country since the MDGs were measured. This tragic discovery presents difficulties in reaching the goals, but has saved numerous lives from arsenic poisoning [3].

Pakistan was also due to meet the clean water targets, but the devastating floods in July 2010 destroyed infrastructures, and six months on, stagnant water remains a problem [4] and major aid efforts are having only limited successes, as this UKaid video shows [5].

Improved sanitation remains elusive in a number of areas, although a decline in the practice of open defacation has been seen, down to 17% in 2008 from 25% in 1990. The Community-Led Total Sanitation approach (CLTS), pioneered in Bangladesh, is working in over 20 countries, as neighbours discourage one another from defecating in the open. Not only does this approach improve sanitation, it builds a sense of dignity amongst a community, who can become an ‘open-defecation free’ village. Read more and watch videos via this website [6].

Another aspect of MDG7 is that of reducing the carbon footprint, and staving off changes in climate. After the disappointment of global talks at Copenhagen, Greenpeace, Tearfund have hailed some successes in talks at Cancun, where steps have been taken to reigniting the hope of a new global deal, akin to the Kyoto protocol [7] [8] 

Every person can have a direct involvement in helping to meet this MDG. The Church of England has produced an excellent set of resources to help churches become more aware of the need to reduce carbon emissions and giving practical steps to make their churches and their congregations more just – by being greener [9]. Further steps need to be taken to meet the varying targets of MDG7, as we look towards a more sustainable world.

[1] Global Poverty Project video of Tearfund water project.

[2] Major UNICEF document on progress on MDGs

[3] Article on arsenic in Bangladesh

[4] UN article about Pakistan floods

[5] UKaid video of Pakistan Floods

[6] Community Led Sanitation information.

[7] Greenpeace response to Cancun

[8] Tearfund response to Cancun

[9] Shrinking the Footprint.