This disjunction could have large implications for public health planning. In many water-insecure places, diarrheal disease is still a leading cause of death—especially for children, of whom some 1.5 million succumb to these infections. Most of those illnesses result from contact with bacteria, viruses or parasites, often through unclean water. A recent study in Environmental Health showed that access to clean water could reduce childhood mortality by 1.17 deaths per 1,000 children, which is a large number of preventable deaths for the millions of children who lack access to improved water—and millions more who apparently lack access to fully safe water supplies.
These preventable diseases also cost countries dearly in lost productivity. Poor sanitation can demand high environmental cleanup costs, and are a major drag on economic growth, notes Jaehyang So, manager of the Water and Sanitation Program at the World Bank.
Global challenge
Gathering data about the type of water source—tap, drainage ditch, borehole, etcetera—is a lot easier than performing formal water quality tests, which is one of the reasons the U.N. goals focused on improving water sources.
"The problem is that there is not really any good, objective water quality test" that can easily be performed in remote areas of developing countries, says Stephen Gundry, professor of environmental engineering at the University of Bristol who co-authored the WHO Bulletin paper.
The U.N. is not blind to this disparity. Many experts at the organization "have let Mr. Ban know in no uncertain terms that his office has badly understated the scale of the drinking water crisis," environmental analyst Roger Harrabin wrote earlier this month in his column for BBC News.
"These targets are set in a very political environment," says Sanjay Wijesekera, chief of the U.N. Children's Fund's (UNICEF) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme division. And once the goals are established, he and others working on the challenges are tasked to try to help as many countries as possible meet them.
One of the biggest breakdowns between improved and safe water occurs almost imperceptibly over time. Creating an improved water source does vastly increase the odds that water will be safe. But if pipes, wells and other improvements are not maintained over time, they can become damaged or compromised, allowing bacterial contamination in.
With the focus on installing pipes, wells and other improvements, localities and organizations have not always kept up the gains they have made. Wijesekera points out that UNICEF programs, such as those in eastern and southern Africa, emphasize sustainable water improvements. These initiatives have an annual sustainability check to make sure facilities have both technical and financial support to keep them running safely. But as Gundry notes, continued maintenance often does not garner extra credit or funds, allowing once-safe installations to fall into disrepair.
All of these new pipes and wells "have been very effective in bumping up the numbers" for the MDGs, Gundry says. But the bottom line is that U.N. officials "focused on an indicator that doesn't tell the whole story," he notes. "They just accepted that an improved source is a safe source, which it isn't, of course.”
Additionally, many people still have to transport water from a source back to their homes—a period when contamination can occur. Contamination is likely "somewhere along the way," Wijesekera says, from unsanitary containers or handling. The World Bank's So notes that some 40 percent of home water samples studied in India that were clean upon collection had been contaminated by the time they were ready for consumption at the home. But measuring those levels on a broad scale would mean testing water in homes, which is even more difficult than the area testing.
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10 Comments
Add CommentI hate to have to mention it, but a significant factor in this equation is that the global population has nearly tripled since 1950 - the supply of potable water has not. Moreover, the increase in population has come disproportionately in areas where potable water is exceedingly scarce. I do not want to see anyone suffer - potable water (and food) cannot be continually supplied to an ever increasing global population.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe root cause must be effectively addressed.
What part of population control is such a mystery? Average children per woman in Kentys is 7.1 In Canada it's 1.3
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOnly action I support is vending machines on every corner of every street in every village dispensing free condoms and birth control pills.
I said it once and its worth repeating:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFirst stop polluting perfectly good water and pumping it underground to get Natural Gas!! Why in hell are we allowing Gas companies to pump water that has been contaminated with chemicals into the ground where it will likely remain for hundreds of years or until people decide they have to pump it out and clean it in order to drink it? Human beings are the most retarded of species! The deficate right in the same place they eat and then invite others to come over do the same all so they drive around in cars! The answer is obvious and right under our noses but greed stops us from taking the obvious course to correct these most basic of problems!
If you want to talk about population control issues; one should look at the fact that researchers and governments are spending huge amounts of money trying stop Malaria thereby saving millions of lives! I am all for saving lives but if you save lives you have to also spend money on figuring out how in hell you are going to support the addition of another million plus people in countries that already cannot sustain the people already alive! No food, water, job prospects, and no infrastructure - what are we doing? Common sense says spend money figuring out how support the people alive first then worry about those dying from diseases which are most likely here as a natural form of population control!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have never understood why the feminist movement have not done more to liberate their sisters from the oppressive traditions prevalent in male dominated societies where women often have no more status than beasts of burden. The two most effective means of achieving a lower population is education & much more equal rights between the sexes. When women have access to education & are able to say no, particularly without contraceptive protection, all the other things will fall into place. Corruption is by far the greatest hindrance to the advancement of under developed societies.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs for disease control, birth rates have always decreased when societies have become healthier.
On the physical side of the water supply problem, just imagine how much could have been done with the money wasted on AGW.
The most tragic side of this situation is that those in dire need of help are those least able to help themselves, and often the ones with birth rates that are completely unsustainable now, not just in the future.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisQuote: birth rates that are completely unsustainable now, not just in the future
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnswer: We build massive structures to grow food. It is a pretty simple solution and anybody who says it cannot be done is either very stupid or has an agenda which they haven't fully researched. Imho.
"30-story building built in 15 days"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"In 2013 we will build 20 buildings a month and by 2014, we'll be up to 50 buildings a month"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdpf-MQM9vY
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_farming
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"Vertical farming is a concept that argues that it is economically and environmentally viable to cultivate plant or animal life within skyscrapers, or on vertically inclined surfaces."
http://www.verticalfarm.com/
Actually, the single most effective way to reduce population is to increase urbanization. Africa's population except two or three countries) is rather low by European and Asian standards. The problem is lack of communication and infrastructure. Water can be recycled.
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