Water and Health Highlights

Water is intimately linked to health in several ways. It is important to address the increasing need for adequate and safe water to protect both people and the planet:

• Preventing disease: Over two million people most of them children die each year of diarrhoeal disease linked to inadequate water supply, hygiene; another million die of malaria; in China alone, 30 million suffer from chronic fluorosis, and 1.5 million are infected with hepatitis A. Improved water quality, sanitation and personal hygiene significantly reduce the spread of these and many other water-related diseases. Better water resources planning and management have a similar beneficial impact on the incidence of malaria, schistosomiasis and other vector-borne diseases.

• Preventing disease helps to alleviate poverty. The 1.1 billion people without access to even improved water sources and the 2.4 billion without basic sanitation include the poorest people in the world – and some of the unhealthiest. A first step towards alleviating poverty is to acknowledge the many components as well as note the major contribution of water and sanitation to poverty alleviation and development.

• Improving health: Safe water, adequate sanitation and hygiene education are basic human rights that protect health, increase the sense of well being and improve economic and social productivity. In addition, water-related leisure activities, such as sports and spas, contribute to healthy lifestyles and longevity.