ABSTRACT
Water has always played a key role in economic development, and economic development has always been accompanied by water development.
Investment in water management has been repaid through livelihood security and reductions in health risks, vulnerability and ultimately poverty.
Water contributes to poverty alleviation in many ways – through sanitation services, water supply, affordable food and enhanced resilience of poor communities faced with disease, climate shocks and environmental degradation.
Water of the right quality can improve health through better sanitation and hygiene and, when applied at the right time, can enhance the productivity of land, labour and other productive inputs. In addition, healthy freshwater ecosystems provide multiple goods and services essential to life and livelihoods.
