Sanitation

Ruby stands by an open rubbish ditch in Balar Math Slum, Bangladesh. Hanging latrines feed in to the ditch too.

Credit: WaterAid / Abir Abdullah

Diarrhoea claims the lives of 4,000 children a day. These children are dying because they do not have access to adequate sanitation or safe water. Their deaths, from common diseases, are preventable.

Where there is nowhere safe and clean to go to the toilet, people are exposed to disease, lack of privacy, and indignity.

Bad health caused by poor sanitation has a knock-on effect on the family economy and nutrition.

In many cultures women who have no access to a latrine must wait until it is dark to go to the toilet or have to walk long distances to find an isolated spot. Where there are no toilets girls are prevented from going to school.

"This slum has existed for 10 years and is in a shocking state," explains Ruby from Balar Math Slum, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

"Hanging latrines feed straight into a rubbish-filled ditch in the middle of the slum.  5000 households here have no clean water and no sanitation.

"Many people get very ill here and I think it all stems from the open latrines. Smell the stench, it's disgusting. We get fevers, coughs and terrible diarrhoea and there are no healthcare facilities that we can use."

WaterAid helps communities to build somewhere safe and clean to go to the toilet. Improving sanitation not only improves health, but also people's dignity and livelihoods.

This short animation explains how 'total sanitation' can be achieved and the improvements safe sanitation can bring:

Download the sanitation_issue_sheet ( PDF File 254KB)