With the politicians back to work in their respective capitol buildings, news of their work starts to trickle out onto the media sites. Some topics seem so tired, others seem combative and unnecessary. If politicians feel a calling to go to bat, why don’t they put their energies to places in the world that need the very basics? Over a quarter of the world’s population still does not have piped water into their home. And more than forty percent live in places with no sanitation.
Key facts from World Health Organization
- In 2022, 73% of the global population (6 billion people) used a safely managed drinking-water service – that is, one located on premises, available when needed, and free from contamination.
- In 2022, 57% of the global population (4.6 billion people) used a safely managed sanitation service.
- Over 1.5 billion people still do not have basic sanitation services, such as private toilets or latrines.
- Of these, 419 million still defecate in the open, for example in street gutters, behind bushes or into open bodies of water.
- In 2020, 44% of the household wastewater generated globally was discharged without safe treatment (1).
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