1 November 2011
Shailesh Vara, Member of Parliament for North West Cambridgeshire recently met with representatives of WaterAid to discuss the international water and sanitation crisis that is taking the lives of 4,000 children every day and what WaterAid is doing to help address this crisis.
Mr Vara heard that according to the World Health Organisation, for every £1 invested in water, sanitation and hygiene, there is an economic return of £8, mainly through time savings and reducing productive days lost to illness.
Mr Vara said:
"A lack of clean drinking water is having a devastating impact across the world. More children die in sub-Saharan Africa every year because of diseases brought about by unsafe water and poor sanitation than are killed because of AIDS, malaria and measles combined.
In Britain we take clean water for granted but we should not forget that in other parts of the world it is literally a matter of life and death.”
Barbara Frost, Chief Executive of WaterAid, said:
“It is staggering that nearly four in every ten people do not have a toilet and one in eight does not have clean water. As well as the tragic human cost in lives lost and poor health, this tragedy is holding back economic growth in countries across the world. This is why we are so pleased that Mr Vara has taken the time to learn more about these issues and how we want to work with the Government to tackle them”.
The UK Government last year directly provided 1.5 million people with access to clean drinking water and 800,000 with sanitation.
Mr Vara heard that according to the World Health Organisation, for every £1 invested in water, sanitation and hygiene, there is an economic return of £8, mainly through time savings and reducing productive days lost to illness.
Mr Vara said:
"A lack of clean drinking water is having a devastating impact across the world. More children die in sub-Saharan Africa every year because of diseases brought about by unsafe water and poor sanitation than are killed because of AIDS, malaria and measles combined.
In Britain we take clean water for granted but we should not forget that in other parts of the world it is literally a matter of life and death.”
Barbara Frost, Chief Executive of WaterAid, said:
“It is staggering that nearly four in every ten people do not have a toilet and one in eight does not have clean water. As well as the tragic human cost in lives lost and poor health, this tragedy is holding back economic growth in countries across the world. This is why we are so pleased that Mr Vara has taken the time to learn more about these issues and how we want to work with the Government to tackle them”.
The UK Government last year directly provided 1.5 million people with access to clean drinking water and 800,000 with sanitation.
