Global: It is estimated that more than one billion people – about one in eight –do not have access to improved water supply whereas 2.6 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation globally. Nearly half the people in the developing world do not have proper toilet facilities. India is one of the developing countries facing serious drinking water problems and lack of toilet facilities. Diarrhoea claims the lives of 2 million children around the world every year as a result of drinking unsafe water and living in unhygienic conditions. Unsafe drinking water, along with poor sanitation and hygiene are the main contributors to an estimated total 4 billion cases of diarrhoea each year in the world.
South Asia:Open defecation and non-sanitary latrines together account for a high toll taken by water-borne diseases in South Asia. It is estimated that between 2008 and 2011, the interval between SACOSAN-III held in New Delhi and SACOSAN-IV that recently conducted in Colombo, 750,000 children under five succumbed to diarrhea, dysentery and jaundice in the region.
India:According to a recent World Bank report , the sanitation coverage in India is only 68 per cent for its people. India as an emerging economic superpower in the world, open defecation still remains a major public health concern with 6 per cent of its GDP,(US $ 53.4 billion), wasted annually due to lost productivity, healthcare provision, and other consequences of poor sanitation
Kerala: The remarkable achievements of Kerala in the health sector have attracted the attention of all. Health status of Kerala, in terms of indicators like death rate, infant mortality rate and life expectancy at birth, is higher than all India average and even comparable with developed countries .But people are facing high morbidity problems from communicable and non communicable diseases. One main reason for this is the change in the life style of the people. Another is lack of adequate sanitation and improper waste management. Both resulting in high incidence of waterborne and water related diseases including chikungunya and dengue fever at least in certain parts of the state.