As we increasingly pollute our planet, water is becoming a scarce commodity that someday could have people going to war over.

H2O as it’s scientifically known keeps our bodies healthy and is crucial to brain and not to mention every other bodily function. Without water, sanitation would be impossible and unfortunately, millions die every year in continents like Africa and Asia due to lack of access to clean, usable water. Below, we take a look at some of the many facts about water in a way you’ve probably never thought of before:

One Billion People On Earth Lack Access To Usable Water

More than 1.1 billion people across the world don’t have access to clean and safe water. WHO and UNICEF’s definition of safe drinking water is as follows. Drinking water is safe for drinking, cooking and washing. Having access to drinking water is being in a proximity of water that is less than a kilometer. Individuals with access to 20 liters of cleaning water daily live in water friendly zones.

Safe drinking water meets national standards or WHO guidelines on water quality, chemical and physical and microbial characteristics.

Unsafe Water Leads To Extreme Suffering

Half of the developing world don’t have access to improved water sources. Their latrines are not up to standard and contaminate water causes catastrophic diseases.

Annually, more than 1.1 million children aged 5 and below die due to diseases such as dysentery and diarrhea attributed to contaminated water. 96% of all deaths occur in developing countries.

12 million people on the planet suffer from typhoid annually. Typhoid is caused by consumption of water filled with bacteria and in some instances can be fatal if not properly treated.

Unclean drinking water caused a lot of damage to both humans and animals. Clean water is the only solution to prevention of waterborne diseases.

Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa

The Asian and African continents host countries that have the highest number of people affected by drinking contaminated and unclean water. The World Health Organization lists the people without access to clean water as follows:

● 319 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa lack access to clean water

● 134 million people in Southern Asia do not have access to clean water

● 65 million people in Eastern Asia do not have access to clean water

● 61 million people in South Eastern Asia do not have access to clean water

In areas such as Afghanistan ravaged by war only 13% of its citizens have access to safe drinking water. WHO studies suggest that in many places the lack of access to clean water is due to lack of and improper infrastructure.

Kids

UNICEF approximates over 1,000 children die each day because of diarrhea-related diseases. Access to clean water can eliminate the loss of said innocent lives. Every ninety seconds a child dies from water-related diseases.

3rd leading cause of infant death is diarrhea which can be reduced by access to clean water. Unsafe and unclean water causes 161 million children to suffer from chronic and stunting malnutrition.

Clean water is an integral human right and persons with access to clean, safe water live a better life than those without access. Next time you pour a glass of water, think of the people who don’t have access to any.