Health

Contaminated or poor-quality water is the second leading cause of infant mortality in the world, killing close to two million each year.

Eighty percent of developing-world diseases are related to lack of safe drinking water. Those who fall ill cannot go to school or work and are subsequently dragged deeper into poverty.

Beyond forcing families to sacrifice food money to buy medicine, fighting disease is an enormous drain on a country’s economy as resources that would otherwise be spent on long-term social and development programs are diverted to the more immediate needs of healthcare.

Study after study confirms that serious health issues (such as cancer and birth defects) and water pollution are inextricably linked. The water crisis and the health problems that are tied to them are challenges shared among developed and developing countries.