Over 800 children under five years die every day around the
world from diarrhoea linked to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene,
reports NaijaAgroNet.
With the population growth, increased water consumption, and
higher demand for water largely due to industrialization and urbanization,
NaijaAgroNet gathered have gravely paved the way to draining of water resources
worldwide, in addition to conflicts in many parts of the world also threaten
children’s access to safe water.
As said by UNICEF in its Thirsting for a Future: Water and
children in a changing climate, the above factors force children to use unsafe
water, which exposes them to potentially deadly diseases like cholera and
diarrhoea.
“Many children in drought-affected areas spend hours every
day collecting water, missing out on a chance to go to school. Girls are
especially vulnerable to attack during these times,” UNICEF official said in a
press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet.
The poorest and most vulnerable children, NaijaAgroNet
reports, will be most impacted by an increase in water stress, as millions of
them already live in areas with low access to safe water and sanitation.
The report also noted among others that globally, women and
girls spend 200 million hours collecting water every day.
UNICEF further said that the impact of climate change on
water sources is not inevitable, UNICEF says. The report concludes with a
series of recommendations that can help curb the impact of climate change on
the lives of children.
For UNICEF Executive Director, Mr. Anthony Lake, such
measures should include governments need to plan for changes in water
availability and demand in the coming years; Above all, it means prioritizing
the most vulnerable children’s access to safe water above other water needs to
maximize social and health outcomes.
Climate risks, he said, should be integrated into all water
and sanitation-related policies and services, and investments should to target
high-risk populations; Stressing that businesses need to work with communities
to prevent contamination and depletion of safe water sources.
Lake equally charged communities to explore ways to
diversify water sources and to increase their capacity to store water safely.
“In a changing climate, we must change the way we work to reach
those who are most vulnerable. One of the most effective ways we can do that is
safeguarding their access to safe water,” Lake said.