ABSTRACT
Cash income is one measurement; a recent estimate puts the number of "absolutely poor" people in the developing world at 900 million. The distribution of income within a country does not seem to be a critical factor. A comparison of the patterns of income distribution in various countries with the proportion of the population having access to safe water yields a weak inverse relationship. Water supply is sometimes used as a means of income redistribution. While higher-income users frequently subsidize the rest of a water system, very little is known about the price elasticity of water in developing countries. Productivity, and income, may be affected in three ways: health is improved, women have more time and energy, and new small industries become possible. Standards for water quality were promulgated by a World Health Organization panel of experts in 1971, drawing largely on the experience of Western countries.
