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Access to clean, safe water is a fundamental human need and, therefore, a basic human right. Contaminated water jeopardizes both the physical and social health of all peoples affected; it is an affront to human dignity. Water is life. Basic human rights around the globe consist of 1) access to clean, safe water for drinking, 2) the provision of adequate sanitation and for 3) enough food and energy available at reasonable cost. There is a pressing need to improve access to clean water in developing countries. Consider : |
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o More than 1.1 billion people, or one sixth of the world’s population, do not have access to safe drinking water. The impact of this on health, wellbeing and economic productivity is dramatic. Over 2.2 million people die each year from diseases directly related to drinking contaminated water: Millions of hospital beds in the world are occupied by individuals who became ill because of polluted water. |
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o If a human being loses as little as 2% of total body fluid, his or her physical and mental performance measurably deteriorates. |
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o Girls and women in Africa require an average of 3 hours a day to fetch water from the nearest well or river. |
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o People who live in developing countries spend up to 25% of their income on drinking water. |
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o 160 cubic kilolitres of water are removed from subterranean springs every year without being replaced. Clean water is converted to polluted water little of which can be, or is, recovered economically using traditional recovery techniques |
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o 6000 children die every day of illnesses caused by lack of sanitary facilities. |
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o 436 million people live in countries where water is already scarce. |
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The World Bank estimates:- |