Read the passage and answer the following questions
The latest published information on access to clean water published in 2019 by WHO and UNICEF shows that in 2017:
- Globally, more than 785 million people did not have access to at least basic water services and more than 884 million people did not have safe water to drink.
- The proportion of the global population using safely managed drinking water services increased to 71% from 61% in 2000.
- Over 5 billion people used safe drinking water services. An additional 1.4 billion used at least basic services. Over 206 million people used limited services, 435 million used unimproved sources, and 144 million still used surface water.
- Over 3 billion people used safely managed sanitation services. An additional 2.2 billion used at least essential sanitation services, 701 million used unimproved facilities, and 673 million continue to practice open defecation.
- About 3 billion people worldwide lack adequate facilities to wash their hands at home safely.
- The lack of sanitation facilities for girls reaching puberty makes them more likely to miss school than boys.
- Worldwide, millions of people suffer from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), many of which are water and/or hygiene-related, such as Guinea worm disease, Buruli ulcer, trachoma, and schistosomiasis. These diseases are most often found in places with unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation, and insufficient hygiene practices.
Water, sanitation, and hygiene have the potential to prevent at least 9% of the global disease burden and 6% of global deaths. The impact of clean water technologies on public health in the U.S. is estimated to have had a rate of 23 to 1 for investments in water filtration and chlorination during the first half of the 20th century.
- Water and sanitation interventions are cost-effective across all world regions.
- Unsafe drinking water contributed to 72% of diarrheal deaths, while unsafe sanitation contributed to about 56% of deaths from diarrheal diseases.
In order to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals to achieve universal access to basic and safely-managed water and sanitation by 2030:
- An estimated 2.2 billion people need access to safely managed drinking water, including 884 million currently without basic drinking water services.
- An estimated 4.2 billion people need access to safely managed sanitation.
- An estimated 3 billion people need access to basic handwashing facilities.
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