Less water: more illnesses and child mortality.

Across the globe, over 900 million people do not have access to enough water and 2.5 billion - the majority of which live in rural zones - live without adequate sanitation services.  It is estimated that 10% of the world's illnesses are spread by inadequate availability of clean water, hygiene and sanitation facilities.  3.5 million people die each year from inadequate access to drinking water, from poor hygiene, and from the lack or inadequacy of toilets and sewer systems. 

Children are particularly vulnerable: 1.5 million every year - approximately 4,000 children every day - die from illnesses caused by poor quality drinking water or inadequate hygiene practices.  One of the most frequent causes of death in children under the age of 5 is diarrhea: 1.4 million children under 5 fall victim to it and die each year. 88% of these deaths can be directly attributed to problems with water.  Insufficient clean water, even for washing hands, can be linked to the spread of other illnesses such as intestinal worms that infect many children and increase their vulnerability to malnutrition,  and anemia.