Water quality is a key indicator of the ability of a nation to achieve sustainable development. Water quality has two broad forms: microbial and industrial chemical contamination. Industrialized nations have managed water borne bacterial and viral diseases well, though global warming may revive a need to manage diseases associated with vectors like mosquitoes (avian flu, malaria). Industrialized nations now deal with toxic chemical compounds (metals, radionuclides, and synthetic organics). Developing nations must deal with both waterborne microbial diseases and toxics without much funding and with dense concentrations of humans in burgeoning cities. Sustainable development addresses protection of the sources of drinking water by, for instance, better agricultural practices (no nitrates, no pesticides) and elimination of toxics in the industrial process. While wealthier nations can afford water treatment, poorer nations do not have the ability to build the protective infrastructure. Comprehensive watershed management and water quality monitoring are still rare government functions in all nations.

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