Water and Health

As the world’s population grows, so grows the need for clean drinking water as well, but the freshwater resources of the Earth are limited and access to them is unequal: While this precious resource is available at the tap anytime in developed countries, many inhabitants of the southern hemisphere have to take arduous paths to obtain it. According to estimates by the World Health Organization and UNICEF, around 884 million people lack sufficient access to drinking water. 2.6 billion people – more than a third of the global population – do not have sanitation facilities. 4,500 children die every day from the effects of contaminated water and insufficient hygiene. In doing its part to improve this situation, the Siemens Stiftung is involved in water projects in Africa and Asia, and contributes assistance after natural disasters.