A recent joint report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and The Lancet reveals that half of the world lacks access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), resulting in 1.4 million deaths in 2019, showing regional disparities, as over three-quarters of such deaths occur in low and lower-middle-income countries, emphasising the urgent need for action.
According to a report by the WHO and The Lancet, half of the world's population lacks access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene, which leads to preventable deaths and diseases. In 2019, inadequate WASH was responsible for approximately 1.4 million deaths and 74 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). The majority of this burden was attributed to diarrheal diseases, causing over one million deaths and 55 million DALYs. Furthermore, inadequate hand hygiene resulted in 356,000 deaths and 17 million DALYs due to acute respiratory infections. Among children under five, unsafe WASH contributed to 395,000 deaths and 37 million DALYs, making it a significant cause of mortality in this age group.
The report emphasised regional and income disparities, revealing that more than three-quarters of WASH-related deaths occur in the WHO African and South-East Asia regions, with 89 percent of deaths transpiring in low and lower-middle-income countries. However, even high-income countries are not immune to risks, as 18 pc of their burden from diarrheal diseases could be prevented by enhancing hand hygiene practices. Furthermore, the actual impact of unsafe WASH is likely higher, affecting social and mental well-being and exacerbating risks in the face of climate change.
In order to tackle this issue, the World Health Organization (WHO) is urging governments, UN agencies, multilateral partners, the private sector, and civil society organisations to take decisive action. The recommended actions encompass accelerating endeavors to achieve universal access to safe WASH, with a specific focus on the most impoverished and marginalised populations. It also involves enhancing national monitoring systems to collect data on WASH access. To support policy-making and resource allocation, WHO has introduced a tool for modeling disease impacts resulting from various WASH scenarios. These efforts aim to drive progress and address the critical challenges associated with WASH effectively.
Mr. Bruce Gordon, the Head of WHO's Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, and Health Unit, stressed the significance of prioritising vulnerable populations and tackling the unequal disease burden in low and middle-income countries, as well as marginalised groups in high-income countries. Enhancing access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene plays a vital role in mitigating preventable health risks on a global scale.
