<P> In 2015, the total number of people in South Africa lacking access to an "improved" water supply was 3.64 million . 93% of the population had access to an improved water source in that year . </P> <P> In his State of the Union address in May 2004 President Thabo Mbeki had promised "all households will have running water within five years". Despite substantial progress, this goal was not fully achieved . In some rural areas, women spend up to one - third of their time fetching water from streams and wells . They are also responsible for using it to cook meals, wash laundry and bathe children . </P> <P> With respect to sanitation, progress has been slower . The total number of people in South Africa lacking access to "improved" sanitation was 18 million in 2015 . This means that only 66% of the total population had access to improved sanitation in that year . </P> <P> According to estimates by the WHO / UNICEF global Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation based on survey and census data, the share of South Africans with access to improved sanitation increased slowly from 71% in 1990 to 75% in 2000 and 79% in 2010 . In 2010, an estimated 11 million South Africans still did not have access to improved sanitation: They and used shared facilities (4 million), bucket toilets (3 million) or practiced open defecation (4 million). </P>

Any 5 challenges with regards to water supply in south africa