HC Deb 05 November 2003 vol 412 c658W
Mr. Paul Marsden

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the population of(a) Zambia, (b) Ethiopia, (c) Iraq and (d) Malawi he estimates has access to a plentiful supply of safe drinking water. [135296]

Hilary Benn

The Global Water Supply and Sanitation Assessment 2000 (World Health Organisation (WHO)/ United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)) provides baseline figures on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Joint Monitoring Programme is continuing and will provide the United Nations reference data for access to improved water supply.

The figures for the proportion of the population with access to improved water supplies were:

  1. (a) Zambia: 64 per cent.;
  2. (b) Ethiopia: 24 per cent.;
  3. (c) Iraq: 85 per cent.;
  4. (d) Malawi: 57 per cent.

DFID has provided substantial financial support and technical assistance to this initiative from the outset.

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