1. Amara Amadiegwu
Midterm Policy Brief
PUBH 2115 Health, Human Rights and Displaced Persons
Unsafe Water and Inadequate Sanitation Policy Brief
Clean, safe drinking water is vital to the lives of both
humans and animals. It is not a commodity, service or
good; it is a basic human right and legal entitlement for
everyone. If clean water is a basic human right, how do we
explain the 884 million people living without access to
clean water? These numbers rise each day and many
people die from diseases related to poor water and sanitation conditions. This policy
brief, will discuss the importance and magnitude of the problem, why it is an issue,
and the ways in which we as individuals and the international community can and
are currently addressing it.
Scope and Magnitude of the problem
According to the Human Development report conducted by the UNDP, the
united nations development programme, at any given time, about half of all people
in developing countries are suffering from illnesses related to poor water and
sanitation conditions. In order for water to be considered safe for domestic or
personal use it must be free from microorganisms, radiological hazards and
chemical substances. These standards have been set by the World Health
Organization (WHO) and if followed properly, will insure safe water for all. Clean
Figure 1: From UN Human Right to water and
sanitation media brief

2. water is important because water is used in so many aspects of life. It is used for
cooking, growing fruits and vegetables, drinking, bathing, cleaning, sanitation and
more. Imagine having to do all of these tasks with little to no water, imagine doing
that with disease infested water. For millions of people, mainly in third world
impoverished, countries, this is a reality. There are many underlying
factors that are the reason why many families do not have
access to clean water and sanitation. For example the biggest
factor is money. Creating irrigation in the home itself if very
expensive and they may not be able to afford it or its upkeep.
Another reason is geography. The nearest water source is often
miles away. These are just two of the many reasons that can
impede a family’s ability to access safe water.
The biggest issue with unclean water is that its consumption can lead to a
multitude of diseases. For starters, Schistosomiasis is a disease caused by parasitic
worm that penetrates the skin while swimming, bathing or washing in unsafe water.
This disease affects around 200 million people and destroys their livers, bladders,
lungs and intestines. With adequate sanitation and water supply, infection rates
could be reduced by 77 percent. Another water related disease is Trachoma. It is an
Figure 2: From Charity: Water ,
why water page
Figure 3:
From
Charity:
Water , why
water page

3. eye infection caused by poor hygiene and is the cause of blindness in 6 million
people worldwide today. With clean water, the infection rate can be reduced by 25
percent. Other diseases may include, typhoid fever, cholera, HIV/aids, malaria,
intestinal worms, diarrhea, arsenicosis, salmonella, E.coli, Hepatitis a, and more.
Diseases from unsafe water and poor sanitation kill more people than all forms of
violence especially war.
Its not enough for water to be clean, it must be
physically accessible. In places like Africa and Asia, women
and children have the burden of fetching water for their
families. The nearest source of water is usually miles away
and is likely to be contaminated anyway. Their only choice
is become sick without water or take their chances getting
ill consuming unclean water. Oftentimes the road there is
dangerous and women are at risk of being harassed and sexually assalted. The time
spent walking to and from the water source takes time away from school and work.
This locks these women and children into a cycle of poverty, without an education
or an income they would earn from
working they are stuck. Lastly, the
containers used to carry water back and
forth are abnormally heavy and put a
strain on the backs of these woman and
especially the children. This can lead to
stunted growth and other medical issues.
Figure 4: From Water.org , Crisis, Women and
water : An Impossible choice page
Figure 5: From Charity: Water, Why water page

4. The Human Rights issue
In 2002 the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights drafted and
adopted general commitment number 15 on water as a human right. Article 1.1
states that “The human right to water is indispensable for leading a life in human
dignity. It is a prerequisite for the realization of other human rights.” Article 2 states
that the water must be “sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and
affordable…personal and domestic uses.” Sufficient means that the supply must be
enough for personal and domestic uses. The WHO estimates that 50 to 100 liters of
water is need per person daily to ensure all basic needs are met. The water must be
safe and free from contamination. It should also be of an acceptable color and taste.
The water source, as stated by WHO, must be within the immediate vicinity of the
household or within 1000 meters and no more than 30 minutes away. Lastly it must
be affordable for all and less than or equal to 3% of the household income according
to the UNDP. In July 2010, the UN declared that access to clean water and sanitation
is a human right through Resolution 64/292. The Resolution calls for international
organizations and States to “and international organizations to provide financial
resources, capacity-building and technology transfer, through international
assistance and cooperation, in particular to developing countries, in order to scale
up efforts to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and
sanitation for all.”

5. Who is helping, how and what else can be done
Numerous non-state actors have joined in the fight to bring clean water
globally. Nonprofit organizations such as charity: water, water.org which was
founded by actor Matt Damon, the water project and more, all aim at reducing the
number of families without access to clean water. In addition many governmental
organizations have taken steps towards this goal as well. In the UN’s Millennium
Development Goal (MDG) number 7 target 10, established in 2002, aimed to half the
proportion of the population with out adequate access to safe drinking water and
sanitation. In 2012 they met that goal. In March 2014, the World Bank’s Board of
Executive Directors met and agreed to provide funds (205 million dollars) to help
the government of Ethiopia to increases access to safe drinking water. The United
Kingdom has also committed to working towards the MDG set out in 2002. They
pledged to bring access to 60 million people by building standpipes and pumps
around villages and other sanitation necessitates like sinks and toilets. They
targeted the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and other remote villages in
Asia and Africa. The EU has partnered with UNICEF and the government of Djibouti
to do their part of the MDG. They pledged 2 million euros in 2007 to improve the
lives of many people living without proper sanitation and
clean water.
This fight to improve the quality of water and
sanitation in many areas is not a problem that any one
government or organization can fix on their own. It is
Figure 6: from
http://askaboutfukushimanow.com/page/16/

6. up to governments, organizations and individuals to join together tackle the issue
together. So far with the Millennium Development Goals, the world is making steps
in the right direction, but there is more to be done. More governments need to take
initiative and collaborate with the various nonprofits attempting to bring clean
water to impoverished nations. By allocating part of their budgets to this problem
they are not only bringing clean water, they are improving the health of many
people, providing time for children to return to school, and enabling them to break
the cycle of poverty. In the long run, this one solution saves lives and saves money.

7. References
• UNDP. Human Development Report 2006. Beyond Scarcity: Power, poverty
and the global water crisis. 2006
• "Facts and Figures." 2013. UNESCO, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
http://www.unwater.org/water-cooperation-2013/water-
cooperation/facts-and-figures/en/
• "The Human Right to Water and Sanitation." (n.d.): n. pag. UN-Water Decade
Programme on Advocacy and Communication and Water Supply and
Sanitation Collaborative Council. Web. 17 Nov. 2015. <UN-Water Decade
Programme on Advocacy and Communication and Water Supply and
Sanitation Collaborative Council>.
http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/pdf/human_right_to_water_and_sani
tation_media_brief.pdf
• "For Women, It's Personal." Waterorg. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
http://water.org/water-crisis/womens-crisis/
• "Water, Sanitation and Hygiene." UNICEF. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
http://www.unicef.org/wash/index_wes_related.html
• "Hrw, Decade, Water for Life, 2015, UN-Water, United Nations, MDG, Water,
Sanitation, Financing, Gender, IWRM, Human Right, Transboundary, Cities,
Quality, Food Security, General Comment, BKM, Albuquerque." UN News
Center. UN, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/human_right_to_water.shtml
• "2010 to 2015 Government Policy: Water and Sanitation in Developing
Countries." - GOV.UK. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2010-to-2015-government-
policy-water-and-sanitation-in-developing-countries/2010-to-2015-
government-policy-water-and-sanitation-in-developing-countries
• "The European Union, UNICEF and the Djibouti Government Provide Clean
Water to Thousands of Rural Residents." UNICEF. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov.
2015. http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40167.html
• http://askaboutfukushimanow.com/page/16/

8. • "UN Millennium Project | Goals, Targets & Indicators." UN Millennium Project
| Goals, Targets & Indicators. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/goals/gti.htm#goal7