Water for life!

Every person should be entitled to 30 litres of clean drinking water per day

Having access to safe and sufficient water is a basic human right. Yet 1.1 billion people in the world still do not have access to clean water, while 2.6 billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation.

In developed countries, accessing water involves simply turning a tap on. But elsewhere, the situation often is quiet different. Water often is contaminated - where water is available, women walk for hours to the closest water point and wait in long queues. Fetching water is an exhausting daily chore, a task which is often delegated to women. Women end up walking for 20 kilometres or more to fill a 15-20 litre bucket with water drawn from a well using only a bucket and rope by hand. Once full, the bucket is carried home by foot, which often weighs up to 20 kg.

In Ethiopia, access to clean water is a daily struggle - 5 litres of water is the average water consumption per person per day; this little amount is used for drinking, cooking and cleaning. By contrast, about 150 litres of water a day are used per household in the UK. Taking a bath uses some 80 litres of water, toilet flushing consumes 30-40 litres per day and a washing machine load guzzles 50-100 litres. However, as the recent UK hosepipe bans have shown, even people in the UK can no longer take water for granted and many are increasingly recognising that lack of access to clean water is one of the most serious challenges facing the world this millennium.

Low water quality increases health risks and can lead to malnutrition. In developing countries, up to 80% of disease and a third of deaths are attributable to the use of contaminated water for consumption or the preparation of meals. However, water-borne diseases need not be fatal. Many water-related diseases could be controlled by universal access to safe water and adequate sanitation. Every year, 70% of diarrhoea cases could be avoided simply by putting water treatment systems in place.

“Freshwater is a limited resource: it should be used carefully and not be wasted,” says Jean Michel Grand, Director of Action Against Hunger UK. “Water is a human right and a symbol of life. Yet, the right to water still is denied to millions of people worldwide. Numerous rural populations, agro-pastoralists and nomads are often still forgotten by the international community – the current crisis affecting various populations in the Horn of Africa is just one shocking example.”

In line with World Water Day 2006 and the 4th World Water Forum in Mexico,

Action Against Hunger highlights that each person should be entitled to 30 litres of clean drinking water per day to maintain an adequate level of health and sanitation.

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For Action Against Hunger's water dossier, please click here.

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