Water quality : a mirror and magnifier of structural inequalities and social injustice / Grace Oluwasanya, Ayodetimi Omoniyi, Mir Matin, Reem Abu Shomar, Kaveh Madani

Water quality : a mirror and magnifier of structural inequalities and social injustice / Grace Oluwasanya, Ayodetimi Omoniyi, Mir Matin, Reem Abu Shomar, Kaveh Madani

Richmond Hill, Canada: UNU-INWEH, 2026

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Unsafe drinking water is not just a technical problem. It is a sign of deeper inequality, concludes this new investigation of the state of water quality in 138 countries by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU INWEH). The report shows that poor water quality mirrors and worsens poverty and gender inequality across the Global South. The UN University scientists find that how rich a country is and how fairly men and women are treated mirrors its drinking water safety to a good extent. In nearly 75% of the analyzed countries, water safety is correlated with wealth and gender equality. This does not suggest that investment in water infrastructure is unimportant. Instead, it suggests that pipes and treatment plants on their own would not guarantee improved water quality. The UN scientists conclude that what matters, along with the state of water infrastructure, is whether a country can afford to maintain those systems and whether everyone, including women, has equal power, protection, and access to services.

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https://searchlibrary.ohchr.org/record/35450/files/UNU-INWEH-Report-WQ_Inequalities_and_Injustice.pdf

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