Safe and readily available water is a basic human necessity in order to meet health and sanitation needs. However, tap water around the world has consistently been found to be subpar, “first-world” countries not excluded.
According to the WHO (World Health Organization) some pretty astonishing facts about drinking global water are:1
Around the world, at least 1.8 billion people utilize a drinking water source contaminated with fecal matter.
- Contaminated water can transmit diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio. Contaminated drinking water is estimated to cause 502,000 diarrheal deaths each year.
- By 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas.
- In low and middle income countries, 38% of health care facilities lack any water source, 19% do not have improved sanitation, and 35% lack water and soap for handwashing.
- http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs391/en/
- http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/us/13water.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all
- http://projects.nytimes.com/toxic-waters/polluters