ABSTRACT
Water supply and sanitation in Ethiopia are generally inadequate, especially in rural areas, and this situation contributes significantly to the high incidence of many communicable diseases. 1980s attention to ameliorating this situation focused on water/sanitation-related programs by concerned national and international institutions. The concept of Health for All by the Year 2000 and the Declaration of Primary Health Care emphasized the need for and urgency of providing safe and adequate water supply and basic sanitation. Water resources development in Ethiopia is the responsibility of the National Water Resources Development Commission, which was established in 1981. The Water Supply and Sewerage Authority under the NWRDC is entrusted with the responsibility of providing services of drinking water supply and sewerage in the country. Regarding rural water supply coverage, the Ten-Year Perspective Plan of the Water and Sanitation Subsector states that the government was able to provide safe water to only 2.1 million out of the 38 million rural Ethiopians by 1983–1984.
