THE ISSUE AT HAND
Safe water is a fundamental human right; however, around the planet, people of all ages become ill and die because of a lack of clean drinking water and related hygiene problems. The World Health Organization attributes two million deaths annually to unsafe drinking water and related sanitation, and hygiene problems. About 2.2 billion people in the world do not have access to safely managed basic drinking water service: most of these live in isolated rural areas and in the more non-affluent societies. The scarcity and poor quality of drinking and water for basic hygiene is attributed or leads to economic, health, and educational problems and can have severe short- and long-term effects on human lives and quality as described below:
Economic Problems
The total global economic losses associated with inadequate and poor-quality water and sanitation are estimated to be US$260 billion. In areas where water has to be carried for usage, significant labor is expended for that instead of for more productive purposes such as providing income and obtaining an education. Health problems from unclean water and poor sanitation lead to missed school, costly lost work and hospital stays resulting in lost income and huge economic losses as well as other related problems.
Health Problems
Every 2 minutes a child dies and a total of nearly one million people die each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene-related diseases. These deaths could be greatly reduced with access to and use of clean drinking water and practicing sanitary hygiene. Many of these problems take place in rural, remote areas which often have inadequate health care facilities; thus, magnifying the problem. Patients suffering from waterborne diseases occupy 50 percent of hospitals in the developing world. Repeated diarrheal and related diseases take a lifelong toll on health, productivity, and longevity and perpetuate a cycle of endless poverty.
School Problems
When a child is sick, school is missed; over 440 million school days are lost each year due to water related diseases in third world countries. Persistent illnesses impact physical and mental development and result in significant and long-term consequences to the child’s future. It is difficult to recover from persistent and long absences from school which can lead to other more serious problems. A lack of education not only results in physical problems but in cultural and environmental problems as well.
Considering the above, we believe it is imperative and crucial that resources are directed in the needed amount and manner to alleviate these problems and save lives. Our work is aimed at achieving these problems and helping those in need in the best way possible to improve their quality of life.
