By Julia Smith
Safe and sufficient water facilitates the practice of hygiene, which is a key measure to prevent not only diarrhoeal diseases but acute respiratory infections and numerous neglected tropical diseases.
-World Health Organization
Water is the single most important resource on this planet. It allows us to wash, hydrate, grow plants, and power our cities and factories, to name a few examples. Yet, the lack of clean water is a pressing issue that is plaguing the lives of so many. Clean water is integral in staying healthy, yet in 2022, 2.2 billion people still lacked safely managed drinking water, including 703 million without a basic water service, meaning that almost one in three people are at risk of contracting water-borne illnesses, from the water they consume daily. Drinking water is not the only way one can contract said illnesses, 3.5 billion people lacked safely managed sanitation, including 1.5 billion without basic sanitation services; and 2 billion lacked a basic handwashing facility, including 653 million with no handwashing facility at all, leading to un-sanitary living environments.
Lack of clean drinking and washing caused by microbiologically contaminated drinking water can transmit diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio and is estimated to cause approximately 505,000 diarrhoeal deaths each year. Diarrhea is one of the top three leading causes of child death and this is often triggered by consuming unclean water, causing a child to die every 2 minutes from a water-borne disease. Waterborne diseases cause over 25% of Ugandan students to drop out of school, losing out on the education that provides them with the necessary tools, knowledge, and opportunities.
What is being done?
The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has brought countries together and challenges them to work towards the outlined water targets, as related to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Goal six, which aims to ensure access to water for all calls nations to do the following:
Improve the management and quality of water resources, involving communities and including women and girls Ensure that people have access to safe and affordable drinking water and adequate sanitation and hygiene, Protect and restore water-related ecosystems.
What can you do?
● Be mindful of your own water intake, make sure to close a tap when washing dishes, take short showers, and potentially invest in more water-friendly appliances
● Challenge local governments to push for more water-friendly policies
● Keep up to date with news regarding water, and disease (UN, Watter.org, Gov of Canada)
For more information click on the links below;
World Health Organization (WHO) Water and Disease Facts:
https://www.who.int/facilitates,and%20numerous%20neglected%20tropical%20disease
Clean Water and Sanitation Sustainable development goals: https://www.globalgoals.org/goals/6-clean-water-and-sanitation/
Water Aid Canada- International Outreach :
https://www.wateraid.org/ca/what-we-do/the-issues/health