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The health aspects of water supply and sanitation |
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"Water is one of the earth's most precious and threatened resources;
Health is one of each person's most precious resources;
We need to protect and enhance them both". |
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| Common diseases related to poor water supply and sanitation |
Diarrhoea: about 4 billion cases per year cause 1.8 million deaths, mostly among children under 5 years old.
Intestinal worms infect about 1 in 10 people in the developing world and the infections can lead to cognitive impairment, anaemia or massive dysentery.
Trachoma: about 6 million people are visually impaired from trachoma. Studies found that the infection rate could be reduced by 27% if an improved water supply were provided.
Schistosomiasis: about 160 million people are infected with schistosomiasis. Studies show that having access to improved water supply and sanitation could reduce the infection rate by up to 77%.
Source: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene links to Health – Facts and Figures, March 2004. |
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"Water for health, taking charge", WHO 2001
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Water supply and sanitation are intimately linked to health in several ways.
To prevent disease that each year kill millions of people - mostly children and the elderly - people must have access to a sufficient quantity of adequate quality water and to sanitation facilities. If water resources are well planned and managed, this will help to optimize the number of people with access to improved services, and it has been shown to reduce the incidence of malaria, schistosomiasis and other vector-borne diseases.
Preventing disease helps to alleviate poverty. Some of the poorest people in the world are also the unhealthiest. They are among the 1.1 billion people without access to improved water sources and the 2.6 billion without basic sanitation. Giving these people access to improved services would go a long way towards improving their health and alleviating their poverty.
Safe water, adequate sanitation, and hygiene education are basic human rights that protect and improve health, increase the sense of well-being, and improve economic and social productivity. Water-related leisure activities, such as sports and spas, also contribute to healthy lifestyles and longevity.
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Download a document entitled "Water for health, taking charge", WHO 2001
(40 pages) - [2.6 Mo]
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