REACH

Over the last decade, we have worked to reduce social inequalities through long-term and interdisciplinary research to address enduring challenges of river water security in urban Asia, climate resilience in Africa and results-based funding for safe drinking water in rural Africa and Asia. 

We aim to make 10 million poor people in Africa and Asia water secure by 2024, and advance thinking on rural water finance to provide reliable water services for 100 million people by 2030.

REACH is a global research programme to improve water security for the poor by delivering world-class science that transforms policy and practice. 

Living in poverty often means a struggle for water security. Rapid urban growth, unregulated pollution from industry, extreme floods and droughts, lack of reliable and safe drinking water, and increasing damage to water ecosystems threaten economies and undermine the lives of the poor. 

Improving water security is an important pathway to sustainable growth and poverty reduction. However, better evidence is needed to guide institutional and infrastructure investments which unlock growth opportunities and help people move out of poverty. 

The REACH programme will improve water security for over ten million poor people by: 

• generating new evidence on water security through an innovative, interdisciplinary, risk-based approach 
• establishing science, practitioner and enterprise partnerships to ground research in approaches that will benefit the poor 
• building capacity and networks for the next generation of water managers and scientists in Africa and South Asia. 

£22m from UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), 2015–2024.