GENEVA, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Nearly a third of our planet's population lack access to safe and clean drinking water, and more than half are in short of properly managed sanitation, according to a latest UN report released on Wednesday.
In numbers, the report by the WHO and UNICEF said almost three in ten people worldwide, or 2.1 billion, lack access to safe, readily available water at home, and six in ten, or 4.5 billion, lack safely managed sanitation.
Safely managed drinking water and sanitation services means drinking water free of contamination that is available at home when needed, and toilets whereby excreta are treated and disposed of safely, according to the WHO.
Though billions of people have gained access to basic drinking water and sanitation services since 2000, these services do not necessarily provide safe water and sanitation, which has turned out to be a major source of risk for the spread of diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, and typhoid.
The report found persisting significant inequalities in availability of clean drinking water and proper hygiene among countries and regions, as well as different areas within a country.
Of the 2.1 billion who do not have safely managed water, 844 million do not have even a basic drinking water service. In 90 countries, progress towards basic sanitation is too slow, meaning they will not reach universal coverage by 2030.
"Safe water, sanitation and hygiene at home should not be a privilege of only those who are rich or live in urban centers," says WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "These are some of the most basic requirements for human health, and all countries have a responsibility to ensure that everyone can access them."
