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