Water
1.1 billion people lack access to an improved water supply – approximately one in six people on earth.
2.6 billion people in the world lack access to improved sanitation.
Less than 1% of the world’s fresh water (or about 0.007% of all water on earth) is readily accessible for direct human use.
A person can live weeks without food, but only days without water.
A person needs 4 to 5 gallons of water per day to survive.
The average American individual uses 100 to 176 gallons of water at home each day.
The average African family uses about 5 gallons of water each day.
Millions of women and children spend several hours a day collecting water from distant, often polluted sources.
Water systems fail at a rate of 50% or higher.
Every $1 spent on water and sanitation creates on average another $8 in costs averted and productivity gained.
Almost two in three people lacking access to clean water live on less $2 a day.
Poor people living in the slums often pay 5-10 times more for per liter of water than wealthy people living in the same city.
Water-Related Disease Facts
Did you know…
Every 15 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease.
For children under age five, water-related diseases are the leading cause of death.
88 percent of all diseases are caused by unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.
At any given time, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from a water-related disease.
1.8 million children die each year from diarrhea – 4,900 deaths each day.
No intervention has greater overall impact upon national development and public health than the provision of safe drinking water and the proper disposal of human waste.
Human health improvements are influenced not only by the use of clean water, but also by personal hygiene habits and the use of sanitation facilities.
Close to half of all people in developing countries are suffering at any given time from a health problem caused by water and sanitation deficits.
The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through
For Justice Friday I want to talk about water. This is a huge deal. Jesus says in Matthew “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” I don’t think He was talking about a nasty old, bacteria filled, slew drawn cup of water either.
There is a group out here, in Kona with YWAM called Water For Life . They are going to places and teaching people about water. Going into places with no clean water and teaching them how to, for as little as $75 turn their death trap water into life giving water. Please check out their site and see if you could be involved with them in any way, either physically or through financial support. There are a lot of people doing amazing things out there in the area of water, this is just one of them.
picture taken from halfwaythere.org
statistics taken from Water Partners International
Wow that’s some good information! I feel so incredibly selfish everytime I use water…it’s so easy for me to access and yet I know tons of people lack that same access. Thanks for letting me know what to do with my guilt and how I can channel it into something that can actually help people. Too often I feel helpless and don’t make a move. Thanks Phil!