Water, sanitation, waste a necessity we all depend on

Transcription

1 Water, sanitation, waste a necessity we all depend on

2 Water is life Water is life and yet 782 million people around the world live without a source of safe water to drink, wash and cook with. And more than three times this number, 2.5 billion, live without an adequate place to go to the toilet or dispose of waste causing deadly diseases to spread like wildfire. It s a tragedy that kills 1,750 children every single day. Water, sanitation, waste the facts Across the world, 782 million people don t have access to safe drinking water, leaving them no choice but to use water collected from rivers, ponds or unsafe wells; and a further 2.5 billion people have nowhere safe and dignified to go to the toilet. Unsafe water supplies, inadequate sanitation and a lack of hygiene causes 88% of diarrhoeal diseases that are entirely preventable. Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. E F Schumacher, Founder of Practical Action Around two million people die each year due to diarrhoeal diseases caused by drinking water contaminated with human and animal waste, many of them children under five years old. 2.5 billion people have nowhere safe and dignified to go to the toilet

3 A growing crisis In a rapidly urbanising world, where over half the population lives in urban centres, the poorest are condemned to sprawling slum settlements with little or no infrastructure to provide basic water, sanitation or waste management services. Diarrhoeal diseases are commonplace. They leave sick children unable to attend school, losing out on a vital education, and parents unable to earn an income. What little money is available is spent on expensive medical treatment. And in far too many cases they kill. Our approach Poor access to water, sanitation and waste services help to keep people locked in poverty. That s why Practical Action has, for 50 years, worked with families and whole communities to create solutions that mean they can access the basic and vital services that most people around the world take for granted. Where land is at a premium, there are very few quick fix solutions to the massive challenges caused by the increasing urban population. Our experience shows that only by bringing together individuals, communities, local councils and service providers we can find appropriate solutions that meet both urgent and long-term needs: from helping identify affordable safe drinking water supplies, advising on and developing practical solutions that provide effective toilet facilities and improving waste collections that will help improve health and the environment. Water tank fed by solar pump in Kenya Drinking clean water in Nepal Tackling the issue of urban water, sanitation and waste management is a major challenge. And with slum living increasing 10% each year, it s a modern day issue that must be resolved.

4 Solutions that bring people together Thousands of people living in the Kisumu slums have no access to clean water. They buy water sold by local water vendors, obtained illegally from burst pipes which are often contaminated with human and animal waste. Practical Action s brought together local residents, water vendors, and water companies to work in partnership, making it possible to extend a piped water supply into the slums. Water vendors can now provide safe affordable water to slum dwellers, working in collaboration with the municipal water companies. They earn an income and families get the clean, safe water they need. Visit: Protecting health and dignity In Kathmandu, municipal services are unable to manage the increasing volume of rubbish created every day. That s why informal waste-pickers like Kanchi Tamang are so desperately needed. Every day Kanchi carefully sorts through piles of rubbish for recycling or onwards sale - it solves a municipal health problem and gives her a vital income. With the support of Practical Action, Kanchi works as part of a cooperative where safe equipment, healthcare provision and saving schemes ensure her a much needed, secure livelihood from which she can support herself and her granddaughter. Visit: Water vendor in Kenya Kanchi and her granddaughter in Nepal

5 Improving health, restoring dignity In Bangladesh an estimated seven million people live in urban slums where limited and inadequate sanitation and hygiene facilities pose extreme risks to health. The gases produced in the pits causes me hard to breathe, I suffer from skin diseases and a disease of my throat. Fadhiya, sweeper With existing sewerage coverage reaching just 11% of the total urban population and no means of connecting sprawling slums to sewer networks, there is an urgent need for practical alternative services. In slums, up to 50 people share one basic pit latrine, disease spreads quickly when pits overflow, leaving children playing in the human waste that fills the gullies that separates the densely packed houses - a fast track way to water sources becoming contaminated. Practical Action is working with sweepers like Fadhiya, who earn a living climbing inside the pits used as toilets and emptying the contents with her bare hands. It s a vital service but one that leaves the sweepers at significant risk of illness and discrimination. Example of manual gulper Pit emptiers Practical Action has provided protective clothing and improved equipment, including mechanical gulpers that extract the sludge safely so sweepers don t need to climb inside, and bicycle carts that can carry the sludge to a safe disposal site, protecting local water sources. Transporting waste by tricycle rickshaw

6 Where practical solutions are most needed According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) more than 13 million people die every year from preventable environmental causes. An estimated 94% of deaths from diarrhoeal diseases, one of the world s biggest childhood killers, could be prevented through better environmental health and management. Practical Action is using it s on the ground experience of delivering appropriate solutions in urban environments to engage policy and decision makers at national and international levels to address the infrastructure and service provision challenges posed in a rapidly urbanising world. Water tank in Kenya Find us online, just search for Practical Action For more information visit: While stories in this leaflet are true, names and photos have been changed to protect the identity of individuals. Photography: Practical Action, Bangladesh, Kenya, Nepal. Printed on paper made from sustainable resources.