World Water Day
Clean water for a healthy world
One in eight people do not have access to clean water. Two million people, most of them children, die every year from water-borne diseases like diarrhoea and millions become seriously ill. Diseases such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid, hepatitis, polio, trachoma and tapeworms spread through water — many of which can be fatal to people in the developing world like Bangladesh. Other water-associated diseases, such as malaria and filariasis, affect vast populations worldwide. In order to raise awareness among people to work for improving the quality of water, World Water Day will be observed tomorrow. This year's theme is — clean water for a healthy world. The theme emphasises that both the quantity and quality of water resources are at risk. More people die from unsafe water than all forms of violence including war. Most of these deaths could be prevented by making people aware and ensuring safe drinking water. It is a sad and terrifying reality that an estimated 884 million people around the world are forced to rely on unsafe drinking water sources. Lack of safe water and adequate sanitation is the world's single largest cause of illness. Repeated episodes of waterborne diseases like diarrhoea can push children to the brink of survival, leaving them too weak and malnourished to survive even common childhood illnesses. However, most of these deaths are preventable. It is estimated that almost half of the nearly 2 million deaths from diarrhoea every year could be prevented through an understanding of basic hygiene. Meeting the water and sanitation targets set by the international community for 2015 is a crucial step towards the ultimate goal of providing safe drinking water and adequate sanitation to all. Providing access to water and sanitation is also fundamental for achieving the other Millennium Development Goals, such as alleviating poverty, hunger and malnutrition; reducing child mortality; increasing gender equality; providing more opportunity for education; and ensuring environmental sustainability. We all should come forward to ensure every people have access to safe water.
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