1 in 6 have safe water
42 per cent of households have no toilets, and one in six people have no access to safe water.
Water: single largest cause of illness
Lack of safe water and sanitation is the world’s single largest cause of illness.
Over 60 per cent of Africans lack access to a proper toilet, according to the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) ahead of World Water Day – observed on 22 March – whose 2008 theme is “Sanitation Matters.”
The Day aims to raise awareness to the plight of 2.6 billion people worldwide who live without toilets in their homes and are therefore vulnerable to numerous health risks.
Unsafe water and disease
1.8 million people die each year from diarrheal disease (including cholera) due to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene. Ninety percent are children, under five years of age, mostly in developing countries
Water-related diseases
Half the people in developing countries are suffering from water-related diseases
