WATER ACCESS

Worldwide Fact

• Today 1.1 billion people don’t have clean, safe water to drink
• 14 thousand men, women and children die every day from water borne disease.
• According to the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO), 80% of diseases in developing nations stem from consumption of and exposure to unsafe water, which kills more than 25,000 people each day.
• Most Africans residing in rural areas use, on average, only 30 to 40 liters of water per day for domestic consumption, the United Nations estimates. In comparison, an average U.S. consumer uses approximately 700 liters of water per day.

• While the quantity of the water for this region is sufficient, the quality and the consistency of the water supply are not.
• Poor water quality and waterborne diseases are a major health factor for Africa.
• A person needs a minimum of 50 liters of water per day, with 5 liters for drinking, 10 liters for cooking, 15 liters for bathing and the remaining 20 liters spent on sanitation needs.
• Many people in Africa do not have access to safe water, and fewer yet receive even the minimum amount of daily water that they need for survival.
• More than 300 million people in Africa still lack access to safe water and adequate sanitation.
• In sub-Saharan Africa, only 51% of the population has access to safe water and 45% to sanitation.
• Access to clean, safe water supply in Tanzania (1999) in
  Rural population = 45%
  Urban population = 68%
• 70% of urban population in Tanzania has connection to the existing water piped sewerage system. (i.e. only in a few towns)
• Many urban areas are affected by poor sanitary services.
• Water-related diseases include Malaria, Dysentery, Cholera, and Yellow Fever. (Poor water qualities combined with poor hygiene)
• Long, harsh dry season leads to drying up of reserved water and decreases river flows.
• More than 40 percent of Africa is dry land, while another 27 percent is already desert.

http://www.iied.org/sarl/dow/summary/chapter1a.html

• Water is a vital element in each of our lives. Not only is it essential to our health, but we also use it for numerous household tasks. We use water daily for cooking, bathing, cleaning and drinking.
• Access to clean drinking water is essential for good health. Our bodies need about two and a half litres of water in a day. Water transports nutrients throughout the body, aids in the elimination of waste, and helps maintain the delicate balance within cells. Therefore, people must have clean water to drink.
• The lack of food or medicine is not only the cause of death or sickness. But today, 90% of sickness and death among children in the developing world is caused by contaminated drinking water. According to the World Health Organization, a child dies from diseases related to contaminated drinking water every eight seconds.

This incredible loss of life can be changed! The vast majority of available clean water in many parts of the world is only 100 – 300 feet underground. The lack the modest resources necessary to release its precious flow is a barrier to those villages, communities and regions that need it most.

We are trying to help provide these people/villages with clean, safe water for their daily use.

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