Water supply and sanitation in Mali are characterized by several challenges. Mali is a low-income country in north-west Africa: As of 2025, it ranks 188 on the United Nations Human Development Index (out of 193 countries). The country's rapid growth in population in recent years, combined with limited infrastructure, has contributed to the restricted access of clean water and proper sanitation. Initiatives by the government, USAID and other international organizations have improved access to safe drinking water. Inequalities between rural and urban areas continue to persist: Only about 68% of the rural population in Mali has access to basic drinking water service, while 27% of the rural population is using unprotected water resources for drinking water or household use. Unclean water increases the risk of waterborne diseases that can be potentially fatal. These can include parasitic infections or diarrheal diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and dysentery. Main surface waters are the Niger and Senegal rivers and their tributaries. Irregular rainfall and a decrease in rainfall affect the availability of water resources. Water availability is also critical for food security in Mali. Mali's progress in expanding water and sanitation infrastructure relies on many factors, such as policy change and increased community education, and the resources to implement the infrastructure depend heavily on external funding and national policy.
Economy The current status of water supply and sanitation in Mali is shaped by the country's history and economy. Mali gained independence in 1960. A large percentage its population is in the informal sector, and as of 2023, 33% of its GDP comes from the informal sector. It has a rapidly growing population: The total population quadrupled from 5 million in 1960 to more than 21 million in 2022. Mali faced a multi-decade drought from the late 1960s until the 1980s. This crisis diverted policy attention to emergency water provisionç It was not until the mid-1980s that the first structured water supply project was launched in rural regions by an external investor.
Mali faces financial constraints in infrastructure development: Political instability and economic weakness after 2012 have hindered development. Mali is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including desertification, drought, locust invasions, and floods. COVID-19 and the health, security, social, and political crises of 2020 has led to increase in expenditures and growth in poverty rates. Thus, Mali has relied on external funding to expand infrastructure for water supply and sanitation: USAID has supported agricultural development projects in Mali since 1961, and complemented its development projects in the South of the country with rural water and sanitation services. The International Development Association and the World Bank have financed several multi-year projects in Mali, including prevention of river blindness, drought relief, rural development, debt relief and water infrastructure and infrastructure rehabilitation projects.
Weather and Climate Change
Mali's water supply and sanitation are increasingly impacted by climate change. Rising temperatures, more frequent droughts, erratic rainfall and decreased groundwater recharge reduce the amount of surface water and groundwater available in the country. Mali greatly relies on wells and aquifers to supply its water.Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre. RCCC – Country profiles: Mali, 2024. 29 June 2024. The reduction of water availability directly impacts both drinking water, agricultural activities and food security.Winrock International. Mali Water Resources Profile. Water Resources Profile Series. 2021. Moreover, climate-induced instability of water can exacerbate resource competition, especially in rural areas, contributing to social tensions and livelihood insecurity.
Sector Overview
Sustainable Development Goal 6
The Sustainable Development Goals include SDG 6, which the United Nations describes as ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030. In terms of progress with SDG 6, the population using at least basic drinking services has improved. However, population using at least basic sanitation services has stagnated.
Technical Infrastructure Wells serve as the primary source of water for many communities in Mali. The cost of wells and pumps, along with their maintenance, is often very high and therefore leads to poor hygiene practices. The wells are commonly hand dug, which often leads to increased levels of erosion causing contamination of the water from sediment and debris. There is also a risk for stagnant water which provides a breeding ground for bacteria and mosquitos which create the issue of a breeding ground for malaria. In addition, the wells are typically left uncovered and untreated, as treatment is regarded as too expensive or inaccessible. This introduces risks to human health issues, particularly through waterborne diseases.
Water Pricing Water pricing is a sensitive subject: In Kayes, Mali, a survey in early 2000s found households paid on average 23% of their monthly income for water. The price of water per 1,000 liter ranged in their samples from $1.50 USD to $2 USD, a high price in relation to the average local income. Furthermore, retail water sales is a major source of water for poor communities that are not connected to mains. Well water is sold, and the prices vary by the distance from the well.
Water Quality at Public Institutions Water sanitation and quality are also problems at hospitals in Mali. At hospitals, women who are about to deliver are at great risk of complications due to the health centers' inability to prevent many infections. They often have to relieve themselves outside because public restrooms are not available. Only 20% of health facilities in Mali were reported to have clean water. The same situation arises when it comes to Malian schools. Only 57% of schools provide some sort of sanitation facility, an even smaller percentage of that provides students with separate gender restrooms. To counter this, an organization called the BECEYA intervention worked to improve water supply, latrine, and hygiene infrastructure in health centers in Mali. According to staff and users of the facilities, better WASH in health facilities improved the quality of care, reduced infection risk, and also created an overall healthier environment for both patients and the staff, as well as the community. Although in 2022, healthcare-associated infections in Mali caused by inadequate WASH cost an estimated $73 million USD, which was about 0.4% of the country's GDP. These infections also caused about 5,300 excess deaths that year, highlighting the direct impact of little to low institutional water or sanitation effected the health systems.
Lack of access to water Agriculture
Agriculture is the number one economic industry in Mali. Mali has been deemed the 'food basket' of the West African region. More than 200,000 hectare (2000 km^2) of land is currently leased to use for growing highly water-demanding crops such as rice and sugar cane, which creates a pressing need to improve water management system. Many local Malians are poor subsistence farmers, heavily reliant on natural resources and are vulnerable to environmental issues and lack of accessible water. Poor water management has led to wasteful and inefficient water use, which leads to problems such as degradation of infrastructure, environmental damage, and water accessibility issues for others. Due to increased urbanization and industrial growth, as well as reduced rain fall due to climate change, the inadequacy and limits of water access have been highly. Office du Niger (ON) was created to manage and develop the land and water sources in the area. The ON does not directly handle environmental protection but may intervene if water management systems are affected by environmental problems.Sidibé, Y., & Williams, T. O. (2016). Agricultural land investments and water management in the office du niger, mali: Options for improved water pricing. Water International, 41(5), 738-755. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2016.1178900
Agriculture in Mali is mostly dominated by rain-fed farming, which makes farmers very vulnerable to a lack of water and very dependent on the climate. Most of Mali's arable land relies on rainfall, not irrigation, which reduces the crop's productivity as a whole. There is a large irrigation potential in Mali, but only a fraction of the approximately 566,000 ha eligible area is currently irrigated using a pump, gravity-based, or even manual watering system. Many small farms depend on simple pump, rope, and bucket techniques because they lack access to newer, more efficient technology. Furthermore, water insecurity in farming is also thanks to climate change and droughts. Droughts in rural Mali have the ability to severely limit both the water availability for crops and access to drinking water for people. In particular, water availability in parts of Mali is often based on seasonal variability. This means in dry seasons or in regions far from major rivers, water is scarce for both crops and the people growing them. This variability results in economic water scarcity. Despite having substantial water resources at a national level in Mali, the unequal distribution of that water and weak water management restricts many farmers' access and crops, and are often unsuccessful.
Small-Scale Irrigation With such poor distribution of water nationwide in Mali, farmers are unable to grow consistent and successful crops to feed their communities. Small-scale irrigation has been seen as a solution to this issue. A demand for irrigation water for Malian farmers is likely unreasonable and outstrips supply, so many communities want new micro-dams or reservoirs, yet the capacity to build and maintain them would be expensive and limited. Solar-powered pumps have also been promoted, but looking to build a sustainable and affordable market for these pumps among farmers has been difficult and has halted progress. Small-scale irrigation has been identified as a solution, but with so many barriers, like lack of credit, weak local market systems for irrigation equipment, and limited technical capacity among farmers, it is not a holistic one.
Health
WASH WASH refers to water, sanitation, and hygiene and is a program that operated world wide aiming to improve water avaibalblity, sanitation and hygiene practices. According to best estimates by the United Nations Children's Fund, in Mali, only 51% of schools in low-income settings have access to water, and 45% have adequate sanitation facilities. Additionally, less than 20% of schools have a functional separate latrine for boys and girls. Yet, around 80% of Malians reported having access to improved drinking water sources, but when in rural areas, this number falls to around 70%. WASH programs are implemented in Mali to improve these numbers and increase access to clean water. Organizations such as UNICEF, World Vision, and CARE partner with and fund WASH to increase the scope of their impact.
Waterborne Disease