An official statistic from the United Nations at the end of 2008 was that 884 million people lacked access to "improved" water sources. But many unaware of the precise meaning behind "improved", and indeed even the UN General Assembly itself, have convinced the public that 884 million is the number of people who lack access to safe water. The author argues that this is a serious underestimation. Not only does "improved" not ensure potability, it also fails to incorporate all aspects of the right to water. Furthermore, the question of access can not easily be answered with a yes or no; different modes of access may be more or less satisfactory. Shedding light on the order of magnitude truly involved in the water problem, this report provides rough estimates of the number of people whose right to safe drinking water is inadequately met
