2.4 billion people globally live without improved sanitation. Contaminated water can lead to numerous diseases including cholera, typhoid, dysentery and many other diarrhoeal diseases. World Health Organization reports that 1.5 million people around the world die from diarrhoeal diseases per year (2012) and 58% of those diseases are the result of unsafe water sources.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released the 4th edition of the Global Analysis & Assessment of Sanitation & Drinking Water (GLAAS) 2017. This year’s edition examines data from 75 countries including surveys that look at the factors related to finance including targets, data availability and measures to reach vulnerable populations. GLAAS strives to provide policy and decision makers with all levels of reliable, accessible, comprehensive and global analysis to make informed decisions on sanitation, hygiene and drinking water..
“This increase in WASH budgets will have positive effects not only in the WASH sector, but also in health, including nutrition, education and economic development. However, more than 80% of countries report insufficient financing to meet national WASH targets, let alone the higher levels of service that are the focus of the SDGs,” states the main findings of the report.
Less than 50% of Laos and Cambodia’s people have access to improved sanitation facilities (2006). In Southeast Asia coverage of improved sanitation facilities increased from 73% in 1990 to 86% in 2006. A WHO 2015 report found that access to clean drinking water in Southern Asia and South-eastern Asia rose by 20%. The same report stated that 61 million people in Southeast Asia alone do not have access to clean drinking water.
Since 1990, 2.6 billion people have gained access to improved water. However, GLAAS 2017 reports that many nations are struggling to find the funding needed to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) put in place for 2030. GLAAS says that 20% of countries show lack of resources to cover the financial gaps met.
Related links: UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) 2017 report
Source: AID Forum. Read full article.
16 May, 2017
