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Water Crisis:
1.1 BILLION...
1.1 billion people lack access to an improved water supply - approximately one in six people on earth. More than half of Africa's people lack access to safe drinking water (1).
Of all the renewable water available in Africa each year, only 4% is used -- because most Africans lack the wells, canals, pumps, reservoirs and other irrigation systems (2).
The average American individual uses 100 to 176 gallons of water at home each day. The average African family uses about 5 gallons of water each day. (3,4). Each flush of the toilet uses the same amount of water that one person in the Third World uses all day for washing, cleaning, cooking and drinking (5).
THE CHILDREN...
Every 15 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease (1). Over 80% of the disease in developing countries is related to poor drinking water and sanitation (6).
At any given time, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from a water-related disease (1). For children under age five, water-related diseases are the leading cause of death (6).
1.5 billion people in the world are suffering from parasite infections, which can cause malnutrition, anemia and delayed growth, due to the presence of solid human waste in the environment. Many of these infections could be controlled with improved hygiene, clean water and sanitation (5).
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT...
One in four girls does not complete primary school, compared with one in seven boys. Girls bear the burden of water collection, which can take many hours a day, leaving them with no time or energy for school (9). The average distance a woman in Africa and Asia walks to collect water is 6 km (3.75 miles), the task can consume as much as eight hours (5,7). (5). The weight of water that women in Asia and Africa carry on their heads is equivalent to the maximum baggage weight allowed by airlines 20 kg, or 44lbs (5).
Women are the primary caretakers for those who fall ill from water-related diseases, reducing their time available for education and productive economic efforts (7). Medical research has documented cases of permanent damage to women's health as a result of carrying water, such as chronic fatigue, spinal and pelvic deformities, and effects on reproductive health including spontaneous abortion. In some parts of Africa, women expend as much as 85% of their daily energy intake on getting water, increasing incidences of anemia and other health problems (8).
The provision of safe water and sanitation facilities is a first step towards a physical learning environment, benefiting both learning and health of children. Sanitation provides women, primary caregivers, greater privacy and support for maintaining children’s health and domestic cleanliness. Schools that have sanitation facilities attract and retain students, particularly girls. Menstruating girls are reluctant to attend schools without toilets, and their parents are reluctant to send them.
Finally, healthy children attend school more and get more out of it. A lack of clean and private sanitation and washing facilities discourages children, particularly girls from attending school and these missed educational opportunities have a profound effect on human development (9).
Sources:
1. United Nations, 2006. Human Development Report.
2. World Health Organization and UNICEF, 2005. “Water for Life: Making it Happen.â€
3. U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet "Water Q&A: Water Use at Home."
4. World Resources Institute, 1998-99 and 1996-97. "A Guide to the Global Environment."
5. Association for Women’s Rights and Development. “HIV/AIDS, Globalization and the International Women’s Movement.â€
6. WHO: World Health Organization, 2003. World Health Report. www.who.int/en
7. United Nations Population Fund. www.unfpa.org
8. United Nations Human Settlement Programme. www.unhabitat.org
9. World Health Organization and UNICEF, 2005. “Water for Life: Making it Happen.â€