by Miss Fran Daniels

Created on: April 21, 2008

In March 2008, wikipedia reported that the world's population is believed to have reached over 6.65 billion.

I have researched the following information to get people to realise how precious water is.
Statistics taken from wikipedia and the BBC News and Water aid websites, respectively.

1.1 billion people in the world do not have access to safe water, this is roughly one sixth of the world's population.

2.6 billion people in the world do not have access to adequate sanitation, this is roughly two fifths of the world's population.

1.8 million children die every year as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation. This amounts to around 5000 deaths a day.

WaterAid projects providing safe water, sanitation and hygiene education cost just 15 per head. (WaterAid)

The simple act of washing hands with soap and water can reduce diarrhoeal diseases by over 40%. (British Medical Journal)

The integrated approach of providing water, sanitation and hygiene reduces the number of deaths caused by diarrhoeal diseases by an average of 65%. (WHO)

Water-related disease is the second biggest killer of children worldwide, after acute respiratory infections like tuberculosis.

The weight of water that women in Africa and Asia carry on their heads is commonly 20kg, the same as the average UK airport luggage allowance.

The following statistics are mind boggling. Please let us all take responsibility for clean, safe water for all.

The BBC news channel team reported the following on the world water crisis. The world's supply of fresh water is running out. Already one person in five has no access to safe drinking water.

Ninety five percent of the UNITED STATES' fresh water is underground. As farmers in the Texan High Plains pump groundwater faster than rain replenishes it, the water tables are dropping. North America's largest aquifer, the Ogallata, is being depleted at a rate of 12 billion cubic metres a year. The Ogallala stretches from Texas to South Dakota, and waters one fifth of US irrigated land. Many farmers in the High Plains are now turning away from irrigated agriculture, as they become aware of the hazards of overpumping, and realise water is not in endless supply.

MEXICO CITY is sinking because of the amount of water being pumped out from beneath its foundations. As the city grew in size, the water problem magnified. With no adequate drainage system, today rainwater mixes with sewage and is used for irrigation. The city is now at serious risk of running out

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