THE FACTS

The average daily water usage in the United States is more than a whopping 100 gallons per person. In the communities we work with, families often have less than 2 gallons per person for cooking, cleaning, washing, drinking, feeding animals, and watering gardens.

• People struggling with illnesses linked to contaminated water occupy more than half of the world’s hospital beds.
• A $20 million investment in water technologies could lift 100 million farming families out of extreme poverty.
• One infant every 20 seconds dies from waterborne disease.
• Unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation cause more sickness and disease worldwide than AIDS, measles, and malaria combined.*

THE EFFECTS

Poverty Alleviation

Extra water after meeting daily requirements can be used for crop irrigation or small patio gardens. More water translates to healthier crops, additional revenue from improved yields and improved nutrition from higher caloric intake.

Health and Sanitation 

Of the 3.575 million water related deaths each year, 98% occur in developing countries. 1.8 million of these deaths are children under the age of 5. Clean water, delivered by our systems, is the first and most important step to saving lives and restoring public health.

“In the past, we could not let the children wash in the morning before they walked to school because there was not enough water. We notice now that the young ones have fewer skin diseases because of being able to wash their hands and faces. We eat better now because we have more vegetables from our little gardens, and we can keep animals for meat with our meals sometimes.” 

 -Robert Barganio, Water Secretary in Amagu-o, Philippines

More Effects

*All water facts can be found in--Clearing the Waters: A focus on Water Quality SolutionsAuthor: UNEP, 91 pages, Copyright © 2010, United Nations Environment Programme