- 3.4 billion people lack safely managed sanitation, and 354 million practice open defecation.
- 1.7 billion lack basic hygiene services at home, including 611 million with no handwashing facility at all.
- Unsafe WASH caused millions of deaths in the last five years
- Among children under five, unsafe WASH caused 395,000 deaths, including 273,000 from diarrhea.
- A girl in Ethiopia making an eight-hour round trip to fetch five litres of water.
- People in least developed countries are more than twice as likely to lack basic drinking water and sanitation.
When water is far away or unsafe, children miss school, women lose hours that could go to earning an income, and families drink contaminated water out of necessity. Contaminated water drives diarrhoea, cholera, and typhoid, which are especially deadly for malnourished children. Walking long distances also exposes women and girls to the risk of violence.
