United Nations, New York, March 2012 - The goal of reducing by half the number of people without access to safe drinking water has been achieved, well ahead of the 2015 deadline for reaching the globally agreed development targets aimed at ridding the world of extreme poverty, hunger and preventable diseases, the United Nations said today.

Between 1990 and 2010, over two billion people gained access to improved drinking water sources, such as piped supplies and protected wells, according to a joint report by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

Full article: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=41465&Cr=MDGs&Cr1=