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Over 2.5 billion people suffer from a lack of access to improved sanitation

A precious commodity flows in abundance, despite water shortage in the area in the past, Arusha, Tanzania 2008. Julius Mwelu/IRIN
A precious commodity flows in abundance, despite water shortage in the area in the past, Arusha, Tanzania 2008
    NAIROBI

    This week 17-23 August 2008 is the World Water Week.The World Water Week in Stockholm is the leading annual global meeting place for capacity-building, partnership-building and follow-up on the implementation of international processes and programmes in water and development. The theme of the week is Progress and Prospects on Water: For a Clean and Healthy World with Special Focus on Sanitation.

    According to a July report issued by the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation, every day, over 2.5 billion people suffer from a lack of access to improved sanitation and nearly 1.2 billion practice open defecation, the riskiest sanitary practice of all. The JMP report, titled Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation - Special Focus on Sanitation, comes halfway through the International Year of Sanitation.

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    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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