WEDC Technical Brief No. 17: Health, water and sanitation (1)

Safe drinking-water and sanitation are essential for the health and the development - social and economic - of families, communities and nations. Without water, humans die within a few days from dehydration. Death tends to be higher and life expectancies lower in areas with poor water and sanitation. In half of the developing countries, the Infant Mortality Rate is greater than 100/1000 live births and the life expectancy at birth is less than 50 years (WHO, 1986). About 40,000 children die everyday of diseases related to water and sanitation.