Even before the earthquake in Haiti, only half the country's population had a source of safe drinking water.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
In the harrowing aftermath of Haiti's earthquake, one of the greatest needs became desperately clear: safe water.
My secret is one the world needs to know - nearly a billion people a year die from unsafe drinking water.
There's over a billion people on this planet that don't have access to clean drinking water.
In 2000, twice as much water was used throughout the world as in 1960. By 2050, half of the planet's projected 8.9 billion people will live in countries that are chronically short of water.
Canadians have been very generous toward Haiti after the earthquake and, thanks to you, our most vulnerable people have received food, drinkable water, shelter, medical care and education. For that, we are extremely grateful.
If any country was a mine-shaft canary for the reintroduction of cholera, it was Haiti - and we knew it. And in retrospect, more should have been done to prepare for cholera... which can spread like wildfire in Haiti... This was a big rebuke to all of us working in public health and health care in Haiti.
The situation is quite serious - groundwater is important source for water use, including drinking water, and if it gets contaminated, it's very costly and difficult to clean.
More than a billion people lack adequate access to clean water.
Water links us all as human beings. Everyone needs water, and we all have challenges about it, no matter where we live. Yet even in the U.S., people aren't aware of problems facing water.
In an underdeveloped country don't drink the water. In a developed country don't breathe the air.