Water, Sanitation & Hygiene

Globally, at least 2 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water. Although Sustainable Development Goal 6 seeks to provide water and sanitation access for everyone by 2030, much progress still needs to be made in order to meet the goal. More than half of the world’s population does not have access to safe sanitation, like latrines and toilets, while at least 1.7 billion people use a drinking water source that has microbial contamination.

Girls and boys are often the most impacted when access to clean water is difficult or where there is a lack of good hygiene and sanitation facilities. Diarrhea is both preventable and treatable, yet 446,000 children under the age of five die each year due to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene. In conflict zones, children are nearly 20 times more likely to die from diarrheal disease than from the conflict itself.

Six in 10 diarrhea-related deaths are attributed to unsafe drinking water and poor hygiene and sanitation. Simply washing hands with soap can reduce the risk of diarrhea by 40 per cent and protect against many other illnesses. By using basic WASH interventions, many more lives can be saved.

Even as progress is made, deep inequalities related to water and sanitation on regional and national levels remain. Globally, 2.3 billion people do not have a handwashing facility with soap and water at home. In sub-Saharan Africa, where the lack of water is more prevalent, women and girls often must walk more than 30 minutes to get water—a burden that also puts their health and safety at risk.

These disparities are compounded by growing challenges brought on by political instability, economic crises and climate change. Estimates project that over 140 million people will be forced to migrate within their countries by 2050 because of climate change, adding strain to inadequate water and sanitation facilities, if they exist at all.

A UNICEF report on the state of water, sanitation and hygiene in school settings found half of all schools do not have basic hygiene services, while a third of all primary schools lack basic sanitation and water. Some 802 million children do not have a proper handwashing facility with soap and water at school.

Women and girls are uniquely affected by poor sanitation. At least 500 million women and girls are lacking a safe, clean, private facility to manage their menstrual hygiene, which affects girls’ education. A World Bank meta-analysis found that one in four adolescent girls in India did not attend school during menstruation because of inadequate toilets.

About half of healthcare facilities do not have hand-washing facilities where patients are treated. This deficiency can increase the spread of germs and bacteria, potentially exposing patients and healthcare professionals to preventable disease or illness. A WHO study calculated a global return of US$5.50 for every dollar spent on sanitation—seen in lower health costs, more productivity and fewer premature deaths.

Achieving universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene would bring remarkable change, with global reductions in waterborne disease, better nutrition outcomes, hundreds of daily deaths prevented—and the reality of a world that upholds the dignity, safety and future prospects of an entire generation.