1.4 Million People Die Of Unsafe Water Sanitation Each Year Around the World - WHO, UNICEF

 The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)  said  that each year at least 1.4 million people , of which many are children, die from preventable causes linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation.

According to the two organisations "The numbers are staggering – around the world, 2 billion people lack safe drinking water and 3.6 billion people – almost half the world’s population – use sanitation services that leave human waste untreated". 

"Millions of children and families do not have adequate WASH services, including soap to wash their hands. The consequences can often be deadly".

They called on all nations to radically accelerate action to make water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) available for all, stating that right now, for example, cholera is spreading in countries that have not had outbreaks in decades.

"Government leadership need to develop a plan for increasing political commitment to safely managed drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene, including outreach to leaders at all levels of government and engaging with civil society groups;

"Develop a strategy for strengthening governance and institutions required to deliver these services, such as by establishing autonomous regulatory agencies that enforce health-based standards and regularly publish findings.

"Fund and finance clear policy objectives to guide funding and financing decisions for WASH. develop costed funding and financing strategies that take into account the needs of different regions and population groups, increase public spending on WASH to recognize its value as a public good; and encourage providers to improve performance to satisfy users and recover costs, for example by reducing interruptions of service, water losses, and improving tariff structures and efficiency of collection.

"All of us have the right to safe water, proper sanitation and hygiene, yet so many go without. Collectively, the world needs to at least quadruple the current rates of progress in order to achieve universal access to safely managed WASH services by 2030. Progress needs to be even faster in fragile contexts and the poorest countries, to protect people’s health and futures".

This call came as the historic United Nations Water Conference commences today , March 22, 2023– the first in nearly 50 years.