Thursday is World Water Day but over half the population of developing countries still has no access

[eppur_se_muova]

Thursday is World Water Day but over half the population of developing countries still has no access to any form of basic sanitation

Lack of clean water is one of the main reasons that trachoma, a blinding eye disease, develops. According to the aid agency, Sightsavers, which works to combat blindness in developing countries, trachoma is now the second biggest cause of blindness in the world, with 80 million people suffering from it.

Killa Virkan, a small village with a population of 2,200 in the densely populated province of Punjab in Pakistan, had until recently one of the highest rates of active trachoma in the region.

With a poor sewage system, mounds of rubbish lining the streets and a contaminated water supply, it was unsurprising that 50% of the population also suffered from water-borne diseases.

Trachoma mainly affects women and children in hot, dry and dusty areas. It is spread by flies and cross infection, through unclean fingers and towels. Washing children's faces with clean water is one of the easiest ways to prevent this painful disease from spreading.

To eradicate the risk of blindness from trachoma, regular eye screenings are carried out at the local school and antibiotic ointment is given to those with the infection.


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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/08/south_asia_how_clean_water_saves_lives/html/1.stm

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Add to this the privatization of the water supply in many places...