Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they are providing to the developing countries which are most vulnerable to water scarcity.

One-third of the world’s people live under conditions of severe water scarcity at least 1 month of the year and global demand is now expected to outstrip supply by 40% in 2030, based on current trends.

Our focus has been on access to water and sanitation, and since 2015 DFID has helped more than 51 million people in Africa and Asia gain access to a drinking water supply or toilet facilities. We have recognised the need to invest more in addressing water scarcity, and we are funding a £52m Water Security programme to look at how best to integrate water resource management into development programmes, particularly in cities and agriculture. New programming being developed on water will have a focus on water scarcity.