A new report from WaterAid states the case for the need for immediate action on safe water and improved sanitation globally, as well as a continued commitment to investing in those same areas for the long-term.
“The need for action is overwhelming and the current situation where 37% of the world’s population still live without a toilet is unacceptable.” - David Winder, CEO of WaterAid America
In the report, Saving lives: sanitation and water for all would save 2.5 million lives, the authors say that the majority of developing countries are seriously off-track on meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) - halving the number of people living without safe water by 2015 - and will not meet that target anytime soon. Some places, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, will not be able to meet the target for over 150 years at the current rate.
The WaterAid report also says "the poor quality of sanitation and lack of access to safe drinking water causes 1.4 million child deaths every year, due to diarrhea, and that these deaths are preventable". The second biggest killer of children worldwide is diarrhea, which is caused by a lack of adequate sanitation and unsafe drinking water.
