Why do so many people not have clean water as a basic need?

“Is there water ?”

It’s one of the first questions scientists and astronomers ask when a new planet is discovered.

They’re not looking for cities and roads. They aren’t asking if it has forests and vegetation. They’re not immediately interested in finding mountains or even breathable air.

Before almost anything else, they want to know: is there water?

Because life—in every form we’ve ever discovered (so far)—depends on it. It’s not just a resource. It’s a requirement.

If clean water is vital, why do so many people not have access to it?

Water has been found on Mars. One of Saturn’s 274 moons, Enceladus, is a giant ocean under an icy crust with jets that spew water almost 10,000 kilometres into space.

Here on Earth, though, we don’t have a water discovery problem. We have a water access problem.

There are approximately 1.386 billion cubic kilometres or 1.4 quintillion litres of water on Earth. Roughly 71% of the planet is covered in water. Finding it isn’t the issue.

Getting to it is:

• Around 703 million people lack access to clean water.
• Over 2.2 billion people can’t access safe drinking water.
• Women and girls, on average, walk six kilometres per day to haul 44 pounds (20 litres) of water.

None of these statistics exist because Earth is running out of water.

So, why do so many people lack something that is universally essential?

Reasons why people lack access to clean water as a basic need

Access to clean water is restricted by factors like climate change, poverty, conflict and poor infrastructure.

1. Poverty

The question isn’t “is there water?” It’s who can afford to reach it.

In Canada, the average shower lasts about eight minutes and uses around 80 litres of water. Here’s how that works from a financial perspective:

• Average shower cost: $0.30.
• Average Canadian daily wage: Around $310 CAD.
• Daily wage percentage spent on showering: 0.09 per cent.

However:

• In Papua New Guinea, families pay 54 per cent of daily wages ($2.60 USD) for 50 litres of water.
• In Cambodia, the poorest can spend 108 per cent of their income on water.
• In Madagascar, water costs as much as 45 per cent of daily income.

Would you, as a Canadian, spend almost $170 per day on a single shower? Would you go into debt and spend $334 for a shower when you only earn $310 per day?

Of course not. You’d do without or find other ways.

For many families worldwide, this isn’t a thought experiment, but a reality. They either go without clean water or must collect unsafe water from unsafe sources.

2. Climate change

The question isn’t “is there water?” It’s whether we can count on it.

For most Canadians, water is predictable.

Turn on the tap and there it is. It rains from time to time. Rivers and lakes usually stay where they’ve always been.

Climate change, however, is making water far less predictable. It recalculates how much water is available and whether that water is safe to use.

When the rain doesn’t come for months:

• Wells run dry.
• Rivers shrink.
• Crops fail.
• Families—often women and children—must walk farther every day to collect enough water for drinking and cooking.

And when the rain overwhelms:

• Floodwaters overtake communities.
• Wells and other water sources are contaminated with pollutants.
• Sewage and wastewater seep into clean water supplies.
• People find themselves surrounded by water they cannot safely drink.

Too little water. Too much water.

Either way, families and communities lose access to one of life’s most basic needs.

3. Conflict

The question isn’t “is there water?” It’s whether it is safe to reach.

When conflict erupts, the water doesn’t disappear. The community well is still there. The river still flows. The treatment plant still stands.

But now, none of it is safe.

Pipelines are bombed out. Water treatment plants lose power or are deliberately attacked. Wells become dangerous places instead of gathering spots. Rivers and lakes end up contaminated. Water trucks are hijacked.

And families are forced to make unthinkable decisions:

• Drink unsafe water.
• Cross active conflict zones to collect water.
• Leave their homes in search of safe water.
• Go without.

The numbers show that water infrastructure is often purposely targeted when conflict erupts:

• In 2000, there were 24 documented incidents of water-related violence. In 2024, there were 420 documented incidents —more than 17 times higher.
• In 2021, almost 48 million people lost or needed safe water services due to violence.
• During the Sudan conflict, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) occupied the Golo water reservoir and threatened water access to approximately 270,000 people.

When conflict breaks out, water becomes a weapon. A trigger. A military target. A hostage. A bargaining chip. A casualty of violence.

And ultimately, it's another reason survival becomes even harder.

4. Poor infrastructure

The question isn’t “is there water?” It’s how do we deliver it safely to people and places.

As mentioned earlier, for Canadians, water is predictable and reliable.

Underneath your feet is a network of pipes and valves that bring clean water to your home and takes dirty water away from it. That network is maintained and monitored.

You don’t really think about it. You just know it works.

For billions of people, that convenience was never built in the first place. There is no tap to turn on. No system quietly working underground. Instead:

• Over 3.4 billion people lack safely managed sanitation services.
• Nearly two billion people drink water contaminated with feces.
• Hundreds of millions of people get water from unprotected or untreated sources like rivers, lakes and ponds.
• An estimated 1.7 billion people must leave home every day to collect water.

A community may have a river nearby and groundwater below. But that’s not enough. Without the right infrastructure, that water is either out of reach or unsafe to drink.

Access to clean water isn't just about finding a source.

It's about having the systems in place to collect it, clean it and deliver it safely.

Because water only changes lives when people can reach it.

Why does clean water as a basic need matter so much?

The question isn’t “is there water?” Rather, what becomes possible when people have it?

Water is more than a drink. It’s a gateway to health, education, opportunity and dignity.

When people have access to clean water, they gain more than a basic need. They gain the ability to:

• Protect health by reducing exposure to waterborne diseases and contaminants.
• Spend more time learning because children are in the classroom instead of out fetching water.
• Create opportunities for families to work, farm and build livelihoods.
• Live with dignity because clean water and sanitation provide privacy, safety and protection.

Clean water is more than a resource that changes what people have.

It changes what people can be and do.

Questions, answers and solutions

While scientists ask, “ could water support life elsewhere?”, millions of families wonder if there’s enough water to support life here. Where they are.

While astronomers wonder “is there an ocean beneath Enceladus?”, communities worry if clean water is nearby or far away.

While explorers think about “what’s in the water on distant planets?”, children wonder if the water they’re holding is safe enough to drink.

With your help, the answers to their questions can be “yes.” Here’s how:

Help drill a well

• Transform a community by providing access to life-giving water.

Provide water purification and hygiene kits

• Give water filters, purification tablets, soap, toothpaste and more.

Give safe drinking water

• Protect children and families from worms, cholera and other waterborne diseases with safe, clean water.

Help build latrines

• Improve sanitation and health for communities and families with properly built and installed latrines.