Safe Water Worldwide: How Far Is Iran from Universal Access?

Access to safe drinking water is one of the key indicators of quality of life and development. Among 20 countries ranked, Iran, with 94.4% coverage, stands alongside countries with broad access to safe water.

Access to safe drinking water is one of the important indicators of quality of life and development. In the list of 20 countries, Iran with 94.4% coverage is next to the countries with wide access to safe water.

Ambassador of Arjan-Social Group: Healthy drinking water is one of the most basic human needs and one of the determinants of public health, social welfare and sustainable development. The level of people's access to this vital resource, in addition to directly affecting the quality of life, can provide a picture of the state of service infrastructure and the ability of countries to provide the basic needs of citizens. The comparison of 20 countries in the published information, citing the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund, indicates the difference in the level of coverage of access to safe drinking water in these countries.

At the top of this list are seven countries: Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, Finland and Ireland, each of which recorded 100% coverage. This figure shows that according to the presented index, all the calculated population in these countries have the measured level of access to safe drinking water. The realization of such a cover indicates the extent of water supply services and the importance of continuity of infrastructure related to public health.

This group is followed by Norway with 99.9%, Luxembourg with 99.8% and Canada with 99.7%. Iceland with 99.4%, Australia and Austria each with 99.2% are among the countries with very high coverage. Singapore with 98.7%, Portugal with 97.6%, Sweden with 97.4% and Malta with 97.1% are the other countries on the list where more than 97% of their population has recorded access to safe drinking water.

Next, Spain with 95.7% and Montenegro with 95.2%. These figures show that even among countries that have achieved widespread coverage, the level of access is not the same and there are differences, albeit limited, in the recorded index. Such discrepancies highlight the importance of continuous review of service quality, infrastructure maintenance, and identification of underserved populations.

Iran is ranked 20th in this list with 94.4%. Based on these statistics, the access level in the country is high, but still far from full coverage. Iran's difference with countries that have reached 100% coverage shows the necessity of paying attention to the remaining population that may not have the measured access level. Of course, this percentage alone does not provide complete information about the geographical distribution of deprivation, the actual quality of water in all areas, or the continuity of access in critical conditions.

The important point is that access to safe drinking water is not limited to the existence of a water supply network. In the framework of the international indicators of the World Health Organization and UNICEF, the concept of drinking water services with safe management can also include criteria such as the freedom of water from pollution, accessibility in the place of residence and the availability of water when needed.

Therefore, the figures of this list should be interpreted in the context of the index and the related statistical period; Because the presented image did not specify the data release date and their reference year. With this in mind, Iran's ranking among the 20 surveyed countries provides an image of the extent of access, but the gap of 5.6 percentage points with full coverage also reminds us of the importance of completing services, improving quality and ensuring stable and fair access for all citizens.

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