44 / 112
44
Figure 9:
Wastewater, health and human well being.
and harmful algal blooms that will further degrade marine
biomass and biological diversity (Sherman and Hempel 2008;
UNEP, 2008).
At least 1.8 million children under five years die every year
due to water related disease, or one every 20 seconds (WHO,
2007). Estimates of the global burden of water-associated hu-
man diseases provide a simple index hiding a complex real-
ity. For an estimated 88 % of diarrhoea cases the underlying
cause is unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.
Moreover, it is estimated that 50 % of malnutrition is asso-
ciated with repeated diarrhoea or intestinal worm infections.
Childhood malnutrition is at the root of 35 % of all global child
mortality (WHO, 2007).
Pacific
Ocean
Atlantic
Ocean
Indian
Ocean
Wastewater, Health and Human well being
Investing in water supply and sanitation
Latin America
and Caribbeans
South East
Asia
Economic return for water
and sanitation investments
for two different scenarios
Africa
Eastern
Mediterranean
Central and
Eastern
Europe
Western
Pacific
Diarrhoea cases averted
per year reaching:
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Mortality rate for WHO sanitary regions
US Dollars return for
each dollar invested
Thousands
1 000
430
130
1
Scenario A
Scenario B
Scenario A
Scenario B
Water Source and sanitation for
the Millennium Development
Goals
Regulated piped water
source and sewer
connection
WHO scenarios for 2015
A
B
Adult
Child
Low
Low
High
High
Very high
Source: Hutton, G.,
et al
.,
Global cost-benefit
analysis of water supply
and sanitation
interventions,
Journal of
Water and Health, 2007.