These facts indicate the larger issues associated with water scarcity around the world. Please feel free to use any or all of these facts in your outreach!
Water & Health:
Globally, at least 2 billion people use a drinking water source contaminated with feces. - World Health Organization
Contaminated water can transmit diseases such diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio. Contaminated drinking water is estimated to cause 485 000 diarrheal deaths each year. - World Health Organization
For children under five, water- and sanitation-related diseases are one of the leading causes of death. Every day, over 800 children die from preventable diseases caused by poor water, and a lack of sanitation and hygiene. - UNICEF
Water & Gender:
The task of collecting water falls mainly to women and children, especially girls, who carry water an average of 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) a day. - WorldVision.org
In sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 13.54 million women (and 3.36 million children) are responsible for water collection trips that take 30 minutes or longer - NPR study, UNICEF
Women must carry up to 44 lbs of water (around 5 gallons) in their water cans to bring water to their families - WorldVision.org
Water Access:
1 in 3 people globally do not have access to safe drinking water - World Health Organization
785 million people lack even a basic drinking-water service, including 144 million people who are dependent on surface water. - World Health Organization
By 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas. - World Health Organization
663 Million people lack access to an improved water source. - UNICEF
In low-income countries, 22% of health care facilities have no water service, 21% no sanitation service, and 22% no waste management service. -