Coverage levels for water and sanitation in Ethiopia are among the lowest in the world. According to official figures, 31 per cent of households have access to safe water, and 18 per cent of households have access to sanitation facilities.

In addition to low coverage levels, water quality is another major problem, as evidenced by frequent outbreaks of water related epidemics in both rural and urban areas. Contamination of water supplies by cattle dung and human excreta is frequent. High fluoride levels in water are a particular problem in the Rift Valley regions of the country.

The main problem is increased susceptibility to water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea and dysentery, water-washed diseases such as trachoma and scabies, water-based diseases such as schistosomiasis, and water-related insect vectors including malaria. In Ethiopia, an estimated three-quarters of the health problems of children and communicable diseases, originate from the environment.

Low levels of water and sanitation coverage also have important social implications. Women and children spend several hours every day fetching water. The time spent fetching water could be used to care for children in the home, rest or employment in income generating activities. For girls, the task of carrying water combined with lack of sanitary facilities in schools often stands in the way of their education and traveling long hours to remote sources exposes girls to increase rates of abduction and rape.

* source : http://www.unicef.org/ethiopia/wes.html