Today there are no agreed upon concepts on water poverty alleviation that: define the nature of the problem for poor people; capture the multiple aspects and linkages of poverty and water deprivation in a comprehensive way; analyze the different processes in society that contribute to the problem and perpetuate it; or support policy makers in their efforts to alleviate water-related poverty. This paper aims to fill this gap by elaborating on the concept of water deprivation and its policy implications, with a special focus on irrigation and to elaborate on the gender dimensions of irrigation.