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FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT RURAL WATER Because of national differences in the characteristics that distinguish urban from rural areas, the distinction between urban and rural population is not amenable to a single definition applicable to all countries. For this reason, each country should decide which areas are to be classified as urban and which as rural, in accordance with their own circumstances. For national purposes, as well as for international comparability, the most appropriate unit of classification is the size of locality or, if this is not possible, the smallest administrative division of the country. It must be recognized, however, that a distinction by urban and rural based solely on the size of the population of localities does not always offer a satisfactory basis for classification, especially in highly industrialized countries. In the year 2000, 3,195 million people (52.8%) worldwide lived in rural areas. In the more developed regions the percentage of rural population in 2000 was 24% and in the less developed regions 59.6%. The United Nations expect that 3,338 millions people (46.3%) will live in rural areas for the year 2015. Approximately 75% of the poor work and live in rural areas; 60% are expected to do so in 2020 and 50% in 2035, due to increasing urbanization. Reducing rural poverty requires better allocation and distribution of water to increase the output of staples. Rice and horticulture create much employment income for the poor, but are heavy users of water. Existing levels of rural water supply coverage are relatively high compared to rural sanitation coverage. Sanitation coverage in rural areas is less than half of that in urban locations and 80% of those lacking adequate sanitation (2 billion people) live in rural areas - some 1.3 billion in China and India alone. At a local level, agriculture is the mainstay of many rural communities, and the availability of adequate water allows production of food for household nutrition and for sale at local markets. Many of the rural poor work directly in agriculture, as smallholders, farm labourers or herders. The overall impact can be remarkable: in India, for example, in non-irrigated districts, 69% of people are poor, while in irrigated districts, only 26% are poor. In rural areas, income can be boosted by pro-poor measures, such as ensuring fair access to land, water and other assets and inputs, and to services, including education and health. Relevant reforms of agricultural policy and practices can strengthen these measures. Rural poverty has become feminized as men of productive age migrate away from impoverished rural areas to the more promising urban environment, or are forcibly recruited by warring factions, leaving behind the women, the elderly, the sick and children. In Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, nearly 1 billion people in rural areas have no access to improved water supplies and sanitation facilities.
Information from: Source: UNESCO Water Portal, August 2005
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