- An estimated 250,000 children in Pakistan under the age of 5 years die every year due to water borne diseases.
- Water borne diseases are causing Pakistan’s economy $1.3 billion dollars every year.Contaminated water is one of the biggest sources in the spread of diseases.
- Four fifths of all illnesses are caused by water borne diseases with diarrhea being the leading cause of death in children.
- Water borne diseases like Cholera, Typhoid, Hepatitis A & E and Diarrhea are widespread in the country. Not only backward rural areas face this menace but the people in congested urban centers also suffer from water borne diseases.
- WHO reports that 25%-30% of all hospital admissions are connected to water borne bacterial and parasitic conditions with 60% of infant deaths caused by water borne infections.
- The vast majority of the people do not have access to clean drinking water.
- Most people, in the country, have only one water source. It may be a nearby river, pond, or rainwater from a catch basin or creek. Typically the water source is used by both humans and animals. People use it for bathing, washing, laundry, as well as for drinking and cooking. Needless to say: IT ISN’T CLEAN!
- Bacterial contamination is a result of leaking pipes and pollution from sewage pipes.
- The contamination of streams and rivers comes from the toxicity run off from the industry sector.
Budget allocation for water supply and sanitation amounts to less than 0.2% of GDP.
