Contaminated water and a lack of sanitation infrastructure endanger the lives of nearly 200 million children around the world, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said today.
Every day, more than 1.000 children under the age of 5 die from diseases caused by drinking contaminated water, lack of water purification and sanitation, UNICEF reports.
A total of 190 million minors in 10 African countries are at risk, according to analysis by the UN children's agency.
The situation is more alarming in West and Central African states, more specifically in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Somalia, he clarifies.
Many of these countries are plagued by instability and armed conflict, further complicating children's access to clean water.
The day after tomorrow, Wednesday, is International Water Day. It is also the day the United Nations Water Conference begins in New York. The aim is to examine the extent to which agreed targets can be achieved, in particular the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of ensuring access to clean drinking water for all by 2030.
According to the UN, 2 billion people worldwide—or in other words, one in four—do not currently have access to clean drinking water.
Source: RES-EAP