© UN Photo / Kibae Park
CLEAN WATER
AND SANITATION:
WHY IT MATTERS
What’s the goal here?
To ensure access to
safe water sources and
sanitation for all.
Why?
Access to water, sanitation
and hygiene is a human
right, yet billions are still
faced with daily chal-
lenges accessing even the
most basic of services.
Around 1.8 billion peo-
ple globally use a source
3 in 10
people lack
access to
safely
of drinking water that
is fecally contaminated.
Some 2.4 billion people
lack access to basic san-
itation services, such as managed
toilets or latrines. Water
scarcity affects more than drinking water
40 per cent of the global
population and is projected
services
to rise. More than 80 per
cent of wastewater result-
ing from human activities
is discharged into rivers
or sea without any treat-
ment, leading to pollution.
What are the of the 140 countries What can we do?
effects of this? included in its study.
Civil society organi-
Water and sanitation- What would it cost if we zations should work
related diseases remain don’t correct the problem? to keep governments
among the major causes The costs are huge– accountable, invest in
of death in children under both for people and water research and devel-
five; more than 800 for the economy. opment, and promote
children die every day the inclusion of women,
from diarrhoeal diseases Worldwide, more than 2 youth and indigenous
linked to poor hygiene. million people die every communities in water
year from diarrhoeal dis- resources governance.
Proper water and eases. Poor hygiene and
sanitation is a key unsafe water are respon- Generating awareness
foundation for achiev- sible for nearly 90 per of these roles and turn-
ing the Sustainable cent of these deaths and ing them into action will
Development Goals, mostly affect children. lead to win-win results
including good health and increased sustain-
and gender equality. The economic impact ability and integrity
of not investing in water for both human and
By managing our water and sanitation costs 4.3 ecological systems.
sustainably, we are also per cent of sub-Saharan
able to better manage our African GDP. The World You can also get involved
production of food and Bank estimates that 6.4 in the World Water Day
energy and contribute per cent of India’s GDP is and World Toilet Day
to decent work and eco- lost due to adverse eco- campaigns that aim to
nomic growth. Moreover, nomic impacts and costs provide information and
we can preserve our of inadequate sanitation. inspiration to take action
water ecosystems, their on hygiene issues.
biodiversity, and take Without better infrastruc-
action on climate change. ture and management, To find out more
millions of people will about Goal #6 and
What would it cost to continue to die every year the other Sustainable
correct the problem? and there will be further Development Goals, visit:
A study by the World losses in biodiversity and
http://www.un.org/
Bank Group, UNICEF ecosystem resilience,
sustainabledevelopment
and the World Health undermining prosperity
Organization estimates and efforts towards a wateractiondecade.org
that extending basic more sustainable future.
water and sanitation
services to the unserved
would cost US$28.4 bil-
lion per year from 2015
to 2030, or 0.10 per cent
of the global product