Water facts

• 5,000 children will die today, that is 1 child every 17 seconds
• Polluted water is the world's biggest killer of children under five 
• 1.8 million children die from diseases caused by polluted water every year 
• More than a million adults also die for the same reason 
• Approximately 1.1 billion people do not have access to safe water 
• 2.6 billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation (that equates to two thirds of the world's population) 
• African and Asian women walk an average of 6km to collect water 
• They carry an average of 20kg of water on their head - the weight of your holiday suitcase 
• The average person in the UK uses 135 litres of water a day 
• The average person in the developing world uses 10 litres of water a day

But,

• Improved water quality reduces child diarrhoea by 15-20%
• Hand washing and safe food handling reduces it by 35% 
• Safe disposal of children's faeces reduces it by nearly 40% 

Just over £10 will supply a person in the developing world with safe water for life.