Because Eritrea experiences sporadic or scarce rainfall in arid and semi-desert areas, the Minister disclosed that 85% of the potable water obtained comes from underground reservoirs, while the remaining 15% come from ground level sources.
Despite lacking abundant fresh water resources, Eritrea nearly doubled the amount of beneficiaries with access to potable water; going from 43% in 1990 to 85% today. The government aims to have 98% population with access to clean drinking water by 2018.
Source: WHO/ UN
http://apps.who.int/gho/data/view.main.590

