Millions of children at risk in world’s unsafe water crisis

About 800 children under five die every day聽from diarrhoea linked to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene.

And 600 million children – or聽one聽in聽four聽worldwide聽–聽will be living in areas with extremely limited water resources by 2040.

The devastating figures come today on World Water Day and are聽a timely reminder of one of the biggest crises faced by聽developing countries.

Millions of girls also聽miss out on school because they have to collect water – often walking miles to fetch it for their family.聽

Add in the fact that聽31% of schools worldwide聽do not have clean water and 34% lack adequate toilets and you get an idea of the scale of the water problem globally.

Whether it国产视频檚 water that国产视频檚 clean enough to drink or water that provides efficient hygiene and sanitation, it国产视频檚 in scarce supply for many millions of people.

Having聽access to clean water and food should be an essential part of living. The need for nutrition, including good water supplies,聽is part of 国产视频’s聽#5for5 campaign to put pressure on world leaders to take urgent action to make sure all children – especially the poorest and most marginalised –聽get their basic needs met.

Safe drinking water, proper sanitation聽and hygiene can prevent undernutrition and lack of growth in children by preventing diarrhoea聽and other聽conditions.聽

World Water Day is part of a global mission to get safer water in every situation. It国产视频檚 a day to raise awareness for an ever-worsening global problem.

Every time young children drink unclean water, they are putting their young lives at risk from diarrhoea, malaria, typhoid, cholera, worms and parasites, and trachoma.

Think about when you are ill with a stomach bug. What if there was no clean water to drink to hydrate you? What if your only choice was polluted water?聽Your chances of recovering are diminished.聽

These are the life-threatening challenges children in developing countries battle every day. Yet the developed world takes clean water for granted.

国产视频淲ater is elemental –聽without it, nothing can grow,”聽said Anthony Lake,聽Executive Director of the United Nations children’s agency聽UNICEF聽.聽

“But around the world, millions of children lack access to safe water – endangering their lives, undermining their health聽and jeopardising their futures. This crisis will only grow unless we take collective action now,国产视频澛�

A UNICEF report called聽Thirsting for a Future聽– published today –聽looks at the threats to children国产视频檚 wellbeing and lives caused by depleted sources of safe water and the ways climate change will intensify these risks in coming years.

国产视频淎round 36 countries are currently facing extremely high levels of water stress, which occurs when demand for water far exceeds the renewable supply available,” it said.

“Warmer temperatures, rising sea levels, increased floods, droughts and melting ice affect the quality and availability of water as well as sanitation systems.”

The research has found that, as the world国产视频檚 population grows, the demand for water is greatly increased and developing countries are struggling to meet this demand. Conflicts in many parts of the world also threaten children国产视频檚 access to safe water.

Children regularly have no option but to use unsafe water, which exposes them to potentially deadly diseases like cholera and diarrhoea.聽

Many children – usually girls – in drought-affected areas spend hours every day collecting water. This causes them to miss or drop out of聽school and be聽vulnerable to attack as they walk long distances.

Two-thirds of the world国产视频檚 population聽live in areas that experience water scarcity for at least one month a year, according to the 2017聽UN report聽Waste Water, The Untapped Resource.

The global聽Sustainable Development Goals, launched in 2015, include a target to ensure everyone has access to safe water by 2030

This year World Water Day聽theme is聽reducing and聽reusing wastewater.