Improved but not necessarily safe: water access and the Millennium Development Goals

This article examines the consequences of the disparity between the drinking-water target of the Millennium Development Goals and the measure used to report progress. It has recently been announced that the target had been met in 2010. The authors adjust reported figures to reflect that the official measure, use of an ‘improved water source’, may not always indicate safe water. They find that progress towards the target may have been substantially over-estimated