At present, one in eight people in the world do not have access to safe water, but in 300 years time, it is hoped eight out of eight people will live with safe water and sanitation. However, a new UN report states that the progress of sanitation is being held back because governments are still refusing to deal with sanitation. According to Oliver Cummings, Health Policy Officer at WaterAid (an international non-profit organisation dedicated to improving access to safe water, poor hygiene and sanitation in the world’s poorest communities), the eradication of unsafe sanitation won’t happen in developing countries until the 23rd century!

The UN-Water Global Annual Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) is hot off the press and also backs up the argument that WaterAid makes, as it puts forward - “Between 1997 and 2008, aid commitments for sanitation and water fell from 8% of total development aid to 5%, lower than commitments for health, education, transport, energy and agriculture.”

“Neglecting sanitation and drinking water is a strike against progress. Without it, communities and countries will lose the battle against poverty and ill-health.”

There is an urgent need for action, so why does water and sanitation persist on being overlooked in the global development agenda, despite being consistently cited as a top priority by communities themselves? Diarrhoeal diseases caused by unclean water such as cholera, typhoid and dysentery are rife across the developing world, killing 4,000 children everyday. As well as the significant effect on infant and child mortality, it prevents women from working and providing an income for their families. If the sanitation issue was dealt with, children would be able to attend school instead of carrying heavy water containers back home - an exhausting task that takes up much time and energy.

Dr Maria Neira, WHO Director of Public Health and Environment whose contradictory message Cummings questions says, “Neglecting sanitation and drinking water is a strike against progress. Without it, communities and countries will lose the battle against poverty and ill-health.”

Surely, ‘the strike against progress’ is in fact the focus on introducing  vaccines (which the WHO supports) for rotavirus against diarrhoea? While vaccines may help protect millions of children across Africa and Asia from diarrhoeal diseases, ignoring sanitation risks preventing a permanent and less costly solution.  Cummings asks, “How can WHO push rotavirus vaccines whilst not at the same time putting its weight and influence behind something as basic as sanitation?”

Let’s hope that the world’s pledge, or more specifically, one of the Millennium Development Goal targets to halve the number of people who don’t have access to a basic human right, is fulfilled by 2015.

Words: Carissa Yeboah
Photo: Flickr user waterdotorg

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