Unsafe sanitation across the world is responsible for over 7,75,000 deaths every year.
Around 5% of deaths in financially poor countries result from unsafe sanitation.
More than 2.4 billion people which accounts for one-third of the world population does not have access to the improved and clean sanitation system.
Over 4.5 billion people which accounts for 60% of the world population do not have access to safely managed sanitation which leads to critical diseases and accidents.
As global crisis that affects over two billion people, water sanitation has turned into the first and primary concern of many of the world’s leading organizations. In fact, the CDC considers water sanitation an essential problem that needs to be solved by the end of this century.
Today, there are about 2.4 billion people without the right kind of sanitation in their regional infrastructure. Clean water, basic toilets, black water disposal, and many things other countries take for granted for survival simply aren’t available in many countries.
Then add the 663 million, and counting, that simply have no access to any water source.
When you stand back and look at the entire problem you get a feel for how massive it is. Something needs to be done in order to solve this problem.
Let’s look at some statistics to better understand this problem.
According to WHO (the World Health Organization) and UNICEF, the region with the highest amount of poor water sanitation is Sub-Saharan Africa, followed closely by Southern and Eastern Asia.
Girls are most likely to suffer not only the debilitating ravages of diseases, but the societal consequences of having poor sanitation in their rural settings. Compared to their male counterparts, one in five girls do not attend school, primarily because they are most likely responsible for collecting water for their family. In Sub Saharan Africa, 72% of the water collected is done by women.Plus, the arcane and hazardous toilet and latrine installations in schools often prevent girls from further advancing their education, in particular during menstruation.
Over eight hundred thousand children under the age of 5 die from diarrhea and related causes each year. In 2012, a study showed that 2,200 children die every single day as a result of diarrheal diseases.
Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDS for short) are a direct result of water and hygiene related issues. Bacteria, parasites and viruses run amok in rural regions. Mosquitos, carrying Zika, malaria, and other diseases swarm around sitting water.Guinea Worm Disease (an extremely painful parasitical infection), buruli ulcer, schistosomiasis and hundreds more diseases affect the poor countries at an alarming rate. Less water and sanitation also means less sewage flow, leading to stagnant water and pools, particularly in tropical and subtropical climates. These pools then become breeding grounds for viruses and parasites foreign to that area.
Basic sanitation and clean affordable water can end up saving over 17 thousand people a week.
By the year 2025, due to overpopulation, 2/3 of the world will face water shortages. To make matters even worse, the other 1/3 will have to deal will a growing strain on their sanitation installations. Drinkable water will become a scarce commodity.
Women and girls are more likely to experience violent sexual assaults while either getting water or venturing outside to use the communal defecation pit.
Only 3% of the world’s water is drinkable, despite the fact that 75% of the planet is covered by it. Out of that tiny percent, only 1% is actually accessible to humans. The majority of the world’s safe drinkable water tucked away in remote regions.
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