World Habitat Day 2003: Water and Sanitation in Cities

Today, half of the world's population lives in urban areas. In the coming decades, urbanization is expected to increase at an alarming rate in developing countries. In recognition of this, World Habitat Day 2003 – celebrated on October 6 – focused on Water and Sanitation in Cities. Meeting the rapidly growing urban demand for water supply and sanitation services is a daunting challenge.

In Africa, 150 million people lack a good water supply and 180 million lack decent sanitation. Though
Africa is predominantly rural, it is the continent with the fastest rate of urbanization. In Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, more than half the people living in large urban centers such as Nairobi (Kenya) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) still lack piped water and proper toilet facilities. Under such conditions, waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid can easily spread.

To learn more about water and cities, visit the official World Habitat website at www.unhabitat.org.