The impact of water scarcity on health
Over 668.5 Million people lack access to safe water. Often, the only water they can get their hands on comes from contaminated, unreliable and poorly managed sources.
Contaminated water is a breeding ground for diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio, amongst others.
Water is essential for life, but its scarcity is the cause of much of the world’s death and disease.
Every 90 seconds a child dies from a water-related disease.1
Water-related diseases affect more than 1.5 billion people every year.1
Water, sanitation and hygiene related diseases kill nearly one million people each year.1
Half of the world's hospital beds are filled with people suffering from water-related diseases.2
Sources:
The United Nations global issues: Water
World Health Organization and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP - 2015)
This water crisis has resulted in a global health crisis, causing a strain on the world's medical facilities and causing a drain on the economy.
Much of this can be prevented through the creation of and access to clean and safely managed drinking water sources.
The cost of achieving Target 6.1 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 6.1) - our mission to end water poverty by 2030 - is far less than the cost of human life.
The more voices we add, the more sustainable water projects we can bring to life.
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