The MDG sanitation goal to halve the number of people without access to basic sanitation - makes MDG 7 (Environmental Sustainability) the least likely to be achieved, based on our current rate of progress
2.6 billion people live without adequate sanitation (about 40% of the world's population); one in six people, 1.1 billion, lack access to safe drinking water
4,500 children die daily from the consequences of unsafe water and sanitation - about 3.4 million children and adults annually (WHO)
Each year,1.5 million children die from diarrhoeal diseases caused by dirty drinking water, poor sanitation and lack of hygiene practices
People suffering from preventable water, sanitation and hygiene-related diseases occupy more than half of all hospital beds in the developing world at any given time
Millions of children (especially girls) miss out on a chance to gain a primary education because they suffer from water and sanitation-related diseases, or there are not separate toilets for girls at the school or are required to fetch water during school hours
Simple hand washing with soap can reduce pneumonia (second leading killer of children) by 30% and reduce neonatal mortality by 44%
The transition to simple, basic sanitation and hygiene improvements is accompanied by a more than 30% reduction in child mortality (UNDP)
Every dollar invested in water and sanitation results in economic benefits ranging from US$3 to US$34, depending on the nature of the intervention and region (WHO, 2004)
