
World Touch
WATER: Over 180 million people lack drinking water
More than 180 million people do not have access to basic drinking water in countries affected by conflict, violence and instability around the world, UNICEF warned.
PUBLISHED ON
Nov 2017“In countries beset by violence, displacement, conflict and instability, children’s most basic means of survival – water – must be a priority,” said Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF’s global chief of water, sanitation and hygiene.
In the Philippines, there are significant regional disparities when it comes to accessing safe drinking water and sanitation facilities, with Mindanao having the lowest coverage nationwide.
Here, only 62 percent of households have access to basic water services and only 22 percent of households have their own hygienic toilets (compared to, respectively, 91 percent and 75 percent at the national level), according to a UNICEF report, 2017.