Water

Water is the foundation of a livable planet

Water is our most valuable yet overlooked resource. It sustains people, grows food, powers economies, and supports ecosystems. But this vital asset is under greater stress than ever before. To achieve a world free of poverty on a livable planet, we need to transform how we use and manage water resources. The World Bank’s new water strategy aims to ensure efficient and sustainable use of water for people, food, and the planet.

Investing in water means investing in economic growth

Water is essential for jobs, livelihoods, and thriving economies. No country can achieve lasting prosperity without securing its water future. Reliable water supply boosts productivity in agriculture, energy, and industry—sectors that employ millions, especially in low-income countries. Water shortages can wipe out jobs, as seen in Cape Town’s 2018 drought, which cost 20,000 agricultural workers their livelihoods. On the other hand, smart water management creates opportunities: in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a water access program is expected to generate nearly 30,000 new jobs. Access to clean water and sanitation also improves public health and frees up time, enabling more people—especially women—to participate in the workforce. Investing in water security is not just about survival; it’s about building stronger, more resilient economies.

The financing needs are enormous

Delivering and sustaining water supply and sanitation services requires massive public and private investments, alongside better policies, institutions, and regulations to promote efficiency and reduce waste. Meeting the water supply and sanitation Sustainable Development Goals requires $131–$140 billion annually, a figure almost double the current level of public funding.

We can make water investments more effective by improving efficiency and strengthening public institutions

The World Bank report “Funding a Water-Secure Future” reveals significant weaknesses in the water sector including very low government budget execution rates, productivity losses, and inefficiencies. Moreover, existing subsidies are poorly allocated and do not benefit the poor or incentivize performance. Measures that improve the effectiveness of spending by governments—including capacity building, water pricing reforms, and reforms to utilities—will strengthen the sector and attract more private finance and international capital to accelerate progress.

The private sector can play a pivotal role in raising finance and innovation

The private sector brings unique strengths to water challenges. Private companies are well placed to innovate by, for example, structuring new financing mechanisms and developing new applications for technologies. Collaboration can augment financing, operational efficiency, and expertise. The World Bank Group encourages private sector participation by driving regulatory reforms, improving water sector governance, and reducing investment risk through technical assistance and various financing and de-risking instruments.

Harnessing Innovation for a Water-Secure Future

Innovation is key to solving the world’s water challenges, yet the water sector has been slow to adopt new technologies. Less than 10% of water utilities in low- and middle-income countries use tools like artificial intelligence, big data analytics, or digital twins. Meanwhile, advances in sensor technology, computing, and data management offer powerful ways to monitor water quality, optimize supply, and improve decision-making. To accelerate progress, we must create policies and incentives that encourage innovation, invest in financing to scale new solutions, and ensure continuous learning so water professionals can keep pace with emerging technologies. By embracing innovation, we can make water systems smarter, more efficient, and more resilient — driving both sustainability and economic growth.

Last Updated: Mar 20, 2025

The World Bank Group is accelerating action to secure water for people, food, and the planet

Water is life. It flows through every aspect of our development, driving jobs, growth and prosperity – and is in a state of crisis. Addressing this global crisis is central to our efforts to end poverty on a livable planet. Our new global water strategy leverages World Bank Group expertise, resources, and partnerships to ensure water for people, water for food, and water for planet. Through this strategy, we aim to help countries accelerate universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene; enhance food production and smallholder livelihoods; reduce water-related risks and sustainably manage water.

The World Bank is implementing innovative solutions to amplify impact

 Our Global Challenge Program “Fast Track Water Security and Climate Adaptation” will speed and scale up the process of testing, adapting, and rolling out impactful water solutions.  We are also collaborating with a wide range of partners to solve complex problems: for example, working with donors in development finance, governments, and the private sector to increase blended finance water projects.

Water for People: We help countries work toward universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene

Access to clean water and sanitation is fundamental for public health and economic growth. Yet over 2 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water, and more than 3.5 billion live without adequate sanitation. Each year, 400,000 children under the age of five die from unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene. We work with governments to expand inclusive and reliable water and sanitation services by adopting circular economy approaches, reforming water pricing and speeding up utility and service reforms. We support governments in strengthening their institutions and increasing local funding to improve services, drive efficiency, and encourage innovations.

Water for Food: We advance sustainable water use for food security 

As the world’s population grows, so does the demand for food—and with it, the need for water. In some places, farmers struggle to grow enough food despite available water, while in others, agriculture is using more water than the land can sustain. Small-scale farmers, who rely on unpredictable rainfall, are especially vulnerable. Today, half a billion farmers are smallholders vulnerable to erratic rain. Expanding irrigation in a sustainable way can boost farmers’ harvests, improve livelihoods, and lower food prices— benefiting particularly the poor households that spend a higher share of their income on food. We support smarter farming methods and technologies that increase food production within the available water supply. We also help connect farmers with the private sector so they can access better tools, infrastructure, and financing to grow their businesses.

Water for Planet: We work with countries to reduce water-related risks and manage water sustainably

Rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events are disrupting water resources and threatening ecosystems. Wetlands are shrinking, rivers are drying, and biodiversity is declining, jeopardizing the health of our planet and leaving millions without reliable freshwater sources. Our future depends on protecting the planet’s water resources for all who rely on them. Our approach includes building resilient water systems that protect communities from floods and droughts, restoring and preserving ecosystems to maintain water quality, and integrating water management with broader environmental policies.

Last Updated: Mar 20, 2025

As the largest multilateral financier of water in developing countries, with a $27 billion portfolio, we work to boost public and private finance to solve the water crisis. 

We are committed to rolling out water solutions at a much greater scale. The new water strategy has three objectives: (1) accelerate universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene; (2) enhance food production and smallholder livelihoods; and (3) reduce water-related risks and sustainably manage water. The “Fast Track Water Security and Climate Adaptation” Global Challenge Program will be key to implementing the strategy by helping countries address water challenges with greater speed and impact.

Below are some specific results from World Bank-supported projects.  

Modernizing Irrigation in Indonesia

The Strategic Irrigation Modernization and Urgent Rehabilitation Project has benefited nearly 350,000 farmers in 10 provinces in Indonesia. With 46% of irrigation systems classified as “in poor condition,” the project is rehabilitating over 250,000 hectares of irrigation and drainage systems.

It’s raising the incomes of poor Indonesians, more than 3.1 million of whom rely on agriculture to support their families.

The project is improving the quality of service delivery and irrigation water use efficiency through innovative irrigation service agreements, which define the responsibilities of service providers, water delivery, maintenance of canals, and procedures during water shortages.

By increasing transparency, water users can hold service providers accountable for the quality of services. These agreements can be an important tool in the modernization of agriculture worldwide.  

Brazil: A Proactive Approach to Drought Resilience

In 2010, Brazil was deeply affected by a multiyear drought, which lasted until 2019 and is now recognized as one of the worst ever recorded. Driven to improve their resilience, Brazil used the initial dry period as an opportunity to move the country from a reactive to a proactive approach when it came to drought risk management.

With support from the World Bank Group, the government identified investments in drought monitoring and forecasting as their key priority for mitigating drought risk. The World Bank Group-financed Brazil Drought Monitor was created over ten years ago, marking a significant achievement in drought management and monitoring across Brazil. The Drought Monitor initially covered nine northeastern states but has since expanded to encompass all 27 states and the federal district⁠.   

The monitoring system now involves 60 state and five federal institutions, with 23 authors and over 120 “map contributors” who work together to create monthly drought maps. These maps serve as crucial tools for communicating drought severity and triggering appropriate policy responses. 

Modernizing and Rehabilitating India’s Dams  

Dams provide critical infrastructure for power generation, flood moderation, and water supply for drinking, agriculture, and industrial use. Strengthening their structural safety and operational management will help in building better resilience to handle the effects of increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.

In the world’s largest dam rehabilitation program, the World Bank is helping India modernize and rehabilitate over 500 dams and build a system to strengthen all (6200) dams in the country. All dams are also being provided with an Emergency Action Plan, developed in consultation with a range of stakeholders, including the local community. These plans are shared publicly so that everyone knows what to do in an emergency. In addition, the project is enabling India to create a new pool of dam professionals by developing one of the world's first post graduate courses in dam safety.

Watering Seeds of Prosperity in the Sahel

Two-thirds of people in Africa’s Sahel region live in rural areas and depend on rainfed farming for their livelihoods. Less than 1% of cultivated land is irrigated.

The Sahel Irrigation Initiative Support Project is financing efficient and innovative solutions to develop climate-resilient agriculture to improve the livelihoods of 390,000 farmers across 2,000 sites.

Funded by the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), the project is helping establish irrigation systems such as drip and spray irrigation, solar water pumping, and collection of surface water.

Now farmers are no longer at the mercy of unpredictable rainfall.  

Fattah Hassan Dubaal is a farmer in the Doukour Valley in Chad. The mother of six says that before the project, “We would reap only two or three sacks of okra. Now, we can reap up to 100 to 150 sacks. With this income, we can put our children in school, feed ourselves, and pay for health care when someone gets sick.”

Building a Period Friendly World–One Toilet at a Time

About 39% of schools in Ethiopia are still without sanitation facilities and 76% without access to an improved water supply.

The World Bank is evolving its focus on the design of projects, primarily the infrastructure needed to aid menstrual health and hygiene, to include the integration and institutionalization of learning in school curriculums and more effort to address menstrual stigma and norms.

The One WaSH National Program-Consolidated WaSH Account (One WaSH-CWA), supported by the Global Water Security and Sanitation Partnership, has reached 1,074 schools, and built 227 new menstrual hygiene management rooms- improving school attendance, especially among girls.

Tesfanesh Eba is a 6th grade student at Lideta Limat school in Addis Ababa. “Previously, both male and female students used the toilets,” she says, indicating two rows of latrines, located in the same place. “The boys used the ones on the left and the girls used the ones on the right.” The girls, however, still weren’t that comfortable, particularly when they were menstruating—so uncomfortable, in fact, that many stayed at home for several days a month, missing school. Today, female students have their own separate facilities including a changing room and a wheelchair accessible washroom.  

Improving Rural Sanitation in Egypt  

In Egypt, the World Bank is supporting the Sustainable Rural Sanitation Services Program (SRSSP). The objective of this project which is co-financed with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is to strengthen institutions and policies to increase access and improve rural sanitation services in selected governorates in the country. The SRSSP is improving sanitation infrastructure by supporting the construction and rehabilitation of sewage collection, treatment, and disposal systems, alongside strengthening of institutional capacity and policies related to sanitation. The focus is on increasing the number of household connections to sewerage systems. To date, more than a million people have gained access to better sanitation services. Six water and sanitation companies, serving 34 million citizens, have significantly enhanced their performance. Additionally, the development of the National Water and Sanitation Sector Strategy (NWSSS) has been a pivotal milestone for the sector.

Last Updated: Mar 20, 2025