According to the Human Development Report 2006 by UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) at present more than 1 billion people in the world do not have access to drinking water. In addition, 2.6 billion people have no sanitation. Their untreated wastewater either returns back into the environment causing a potential risk of pollution; or it is discharged into precisely those areas where the local communities live thereby leading to possible epidemics.

The complexity and gravity of the issues of access to water and sanitation make them the major challenge facing humanity. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) the world's population is expected to increase from the current figure of 6.4 billion to 8.9 billion people by 2050. The poorest countries will see their populations triple and will then account for 1.7 billion people.

Access to water and sanitation for all is a global challenge. It is a matter of some urgency that this challenge is met for the sake of both current and future generations.