Drinking Water Crisis

• 884 million* deprived of improved sources of drinking water¹
• 4 billion annual cases of diarrhoeal illness²
• 1.8 million lives lost each year due to diarrhoeal disease²
• 443 million school days lost each year from water-related illness³
• 117 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs) lost annually due to diarrhoea and intestinal worm infections²
  

*Hundreds of millions more rely on "improved" water sources that are nevertheless subject to frequent and extensive microbial contamination⁴

References

1. WHO and UNICEF. 2008. Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation

2. Brocklehurst, C. 2004. Water and Sanitation Program: The Case for Water and Sanitation

3. Human Development Report. 2006

4. Ghislaine, R and Clason, T. 2010. Estimating the Scope of Household Water Treatment in Low and Medium-Income Countries. Am J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 82(2), pp. 289-300