“The toilet a place for peace” is the motto chosen this year by the United Nations to draw attention to the importance of having access to safe sanitation. It may be somewhat surprising, but it is not so surprising when you consider that billions of people do not have access to this right due to geopolitical conflicts, mass migration, the impacts of climate change, natural disasters and lack of care and maintenance.
According to the latest United Nations report on Water Resources Development 2024, water resources have been increasing around the world. extreme rainfall recordsas well as the frequency, duration and intensity of meteorological droughts. Climate change is expected to intensify the global water cycle and continue to increase the frequency and severity of droughts and floods.
Additionally, conflict, extreme weather events and disasters can destroy, damage or disrupt sanitation services. When sanitation facilities fail or are destroyed, untreated human waste is dumped into the environment, fueling the spread of deadly diseases.
In this context, none of the goals of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), which includes number 6, access to drinking water and safe sanitation facilities for all by 2030, seems to be on the right track.
Billions of people without sanitation
According to UN data, in 2022, 2.2 billion people lacked access to drinking water And when it comes to sanitation, the situation is even more serious, 3.5 billion people lack access to these services.
Thus, if the pace in the search for solutions does not accelerate, with greater investment and faster and more effective management, it seems that the goal is still very far from being achieved.
However, for the World Bank, the benefits of addressing sanitation challenges are multiple. Its improvement leads to a lower burden of disease, more adequate nutrition, less stunting, better quality of life, greater attendance and retention of girls in school, healthier living environments, better environmental management, greater employment opportunities and salaries, greater competitiveness of cities and economic and social benefits in general.
Access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation facilities is essential to prevent waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera and dysentery. Furthermore, the absence of sanitation contributes to the spread of infectious diseases, affecting the quality and life expectancy of millions of people around the world.
Environmental quality
About 80 percent of the world’s wastewater is dumped – mostly untreated – into the environment, polluting rivers, lakes and oceans.
Water purification, or wastewater treatment, is an integral part of the water cycle. This process is essential to eliminate contaminants and microorganisms that can endanger human health and the environment. However, many communities lack adequate infrastructure to carry out this process effectively.
World Sanitation Day serves to remember that guaranteeing universal access to sanitation and wastewater treatment services is essential so that all people can live in decent health and hygiene conditions. Global collaboration and the implementation of sustainable infrastructure and solutions are key to building a world where wastewater treatment is available to everyone.
The figures
3.5 billion people continue to live without safely managed sanitation, including 419 million who defecate in the open.
2.2 billion people continue to live without safely managed drinking water, including 115 million who drink surface water
2 billion people They continue to lack basic hygiene services, of which 653 million do not have any type of sanitary facility.
About 1,000 boys and girls under 5 years of age die every day. due to unsafe water, poor sanitation and lack of hygiene
Lack of safe sanitation, water and hygiene services It makes women and girls, in particular, more vulnerable to abuse, attacks and poor health, undermining their ability to study, work and live with dignity.