Millions of children under five die every year due to toxically germ-infested unsafe drinking water - almost three to four babies a minute, according to UN-Water’s estimations.
According to the '2014 World Water Development Report' released by (UNESCO) and UN-Water in addition to the '2005-20015 Water Decade Indicators' by SAIRI, during the 'World Water Week Observances 2014,' some 768 million people do not have access to an improved source of water, and 2.5 billion do not have access to appropriate sanitation.
The 'UN-World Water Observances 2014' were marked under two separate themes: 'Water-Energy Nexus' by the UNU in Tokyo, Japan and the 'Water-Health Nexus' in the SAARC regions countries.
Inadequate sanitation and ecologically incompatible sewage-drainage systems are the primary causes of the present situation, according to the report.
A statement released on the report said: “The sewage outlets of the urban areas necessarily do impose a disproportionate and unfair burden on the lands where mostly the poor populations are inhabited.
“As a result, the soil along with subsoil water reservoirs, essentially become inept to shield against the burdens of both, the inorganic and organic wastes' toxicities imposed thereupon, due to being incapable of bearing and processing this 'disproportionate and unfair toxic burden.”
The Secretary General UN, Ban Ki Moon said in a central note to the World Water Observance-2014: "Let us pledge to develop the policies needed to ensure that sustainable water and energy are secured for the many and not just the few."
Catarina de Albuquerque, UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, said: "Ill-thought out allocation of water has a disproportionate effect on the poorest sectors of society…it is crucial that Governments apply a human rights framework to guide their actions".
Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO, said: "There is enough water in the world for everyone. What we continue to lack is better governance and the collective courage to craft fair compromise solutions. It is about improving maternal health, curbing child mortality, and preserving the environment."
The UN's children's rights organization further estimates, along with the World Health Organization (WHO), that 10 countries are home to almost two-thirds of the global population without access to improved drinking water sources: China (108 million), India (99 million), Nigeria (63 million), Ethiopia (43 million), Indonesia (39 million), Congo (37 million), Bangladesh (26 million), Tanzania (22 million), Kenya (16 million) and Pakistan (16 million).
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