In general, water resources used to generate drinking water can include surface water, groundwater, or rainwater, after collection, distribution, and treatment if required.
In 2017, 844 million people still lacked even a basic drinking water service. By 2019, it was reported that 435 million people used unimproved sources for their drinking water: 144 million still used surface waters, such as lakes and streams. There is a need to improve and achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation. In 2017, 4.5 billion people did not have toilets at home that could safely manage waste despite improvements in access to sanitation over the past decades. It was estimated that 600 million people shared a toilet or latrine with other households and 892 million people practiced open defecation in the world. When it came to matters of hygiene which broadly refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases, it was found in 2017 that globally only 1 in 4 people in low-income countries had handwashing facilities with soap and water at home; only 14% of people in Sub-Saharan Africa have handwashing facilities and that worldwide, at least 500 million women and girls lack adequate, safe, and private facilities for managing menstrual hygiene.
