Eritrea: Access to clean drinking water improves to 85%

April 11, 2013 — Access to clean drinking water in rural and urban communities in Eritrea has improved to a total of 85%, according to the Mebrahtu Eyasu, the general director of water resources in the Ministry of Land, Water and Environment.

Because Eritrea experiences sporadic or scarce rainfall in arid and semi-desert areas, the Minister disclosed that 85% of the potable water obtained comes from underground reservoirs, while the remaining 15% come from ground level sources.

Despite lacking abundant fresh water resources, Eritrea nearly doubled the amount of beneficiaries with access to potable water; going from 43% in 1990 to 85% today. The government aims to have 98% of the population with access to clean drinking water by 2018.

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Access to potable water in the HOA

Country	Rural	Urban	Total____
Eritrea	77	95	85
Ethiopia	34	97	48
Djibouti	54	99	87
Sudan	52	67	58
Source: WHO|

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Eritrea's progress since independece 

Year	Rural	Urban	Total____
1990	39	62	43
2000	50	70	54
2005	57	74	60
2011	77	95	85
Source:  WHO|

Eritrean woman collecting potable water in southern Eritrea

Map showcasing access to improved drinking water 

Rainfall in Eritrea

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