ISLAMABAD: The World Health Organization (WHO) says that every year more than 3.4 million people die as a result of water related diseases, making it the leading cause of disease and death around the world.
Most of the victims are young children, the vast majority of whom die of illnesses caused by organisms that thrive in water sources contaminated by raw sewage, According to Voice of America.
According to an assessment commissioned by the United Nations, 4,000 children die each day as a result of diseases caused by ingestion of filthy water. The report says four out of every 10 people in the world, particularly those in Africa and Asia, do not have clean water to drink.
"At any given time, close to half the population of the developing world is suffering from waterborne diseases associated with inadequate provision of water and sanitation services," Mr. Peterson explained.
"There are about four billion cases of diarrhea disease per year, resulting in about one or two million deaths, some ninety percent of which, tragically, are in children under the age of five."
Cholera, typhoid fever and hepatitis A are caused by bacteria, and are among the most common diarrheal diseases. Other illnesses, such as dysentery, are caused by parasites that live in water contaminated by the feces of sick individuals.
Lakes and streams which people use for drinking water, bathing and defecating are sources of disease, as is water left by natural disasters. Last year's tsunami left victims in ankle-deep water, amid destroyed sewage pipes.
People can also contract a diarrheal disease by eating food that's prepared by sick individuals who have not washed their hands, or touching something handled by an infected person and then putting their own hands into their mouths.
Experts say there are both short term and long term measures that can be taken to prevent the spread of waterborne illnesses. In the short term, they say people should wash their hands as much as possible, use a latrine, even if it's a hole in the ground, and boil water and store it.
For the long term, communities must have sources of clean drinking water. Ms. Smith-Nelson says up to 50 percent of places with unsafe drinking water once had systems that functioned, but they fell apart due to lack of maintenance.
Analysts say eliminating disease and death due to unclean water and poor sanitation would reap billions of dollars in health and productivity gains. They estimate that for every dollar spent, there would be an economic return of between $3 and $34, depending upon the country.
The United Nations has set a goal of cutting in half by the year 2015 the number of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Independent experts say that a concerted effort on the part of wealthier nations is necessary if that goal is to be reached.
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