Global Sanitation and Water Supply Crisis

Question 1

The magnitude of the water supply crisis:

Answer 1

> 7 billion world population
2.5 billion w/o access to an improved sanitation facility
1 billion no sanitation facilities
748 million w/o access to improved water supply

Question 2

Increased access to flushing toilets in India with increasing wealth quintile

Answer 2

.

Question 3

Current efforts to bring sanitation and water for all by the

Answer 3

Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030)

Question 4

What are the characteristics of improved sanitation?

Answer 4

• flush or pour flush to piped sewer system, septic tank, pit latrine
• ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrine
• Pit latrine with slab
• Composting toilet

Question 5

What are the characteristics of unimproved sanitation?

Answer 5

• flush or pour flush elsewhere
• open pit
• shared facilities of any type
• no facilities

Question 6

What are the characteristics of improved water supply?

Answer 6

• household connection
• public standpipe
• borehole
• protected dug well

Question 7

What are the characteristics of unimproved water supply?

Answer 7

• water vendors
• unprotected wells
• unprotected springs, river or ponds
• tanker truck water

Question 8

Adequate sanitation:

Answer 8

access to sanitation that is convenient for all household members, affordable, and that eliminates contact with human excreta and other wastewater in the home and neighborhood

Question 9

Adequate water supply:

Answer 9

a supply of water that is safe, sufficient, regular, convenient and available at an affordable price
(>20 L/d, <10% house income spent on water, and <1 hr/day collecting water)

Question 10

Why are more adequate facilities not implemented?

Answer 10

• technologies not available
• too complex
• too expensive
• too accessible

Question 11

Why are adequate facilities in some cases not accepted?

Answer 11

• not a neccessity for them
• changes the tradition and way of life
• political will (corrupt or other priorities)
• cultural government
• economy and economic issues
• topologies/ terrain
• other needs (food, health)

Question 12

In 2000, poor hygiene, poor sanitation and poor water supplies caused health impacts including:

Answer 12

• 4% of all deaths in the world
• responsible for 5.7% of the total global burden of disease
• diarrheal diseases killed around 1.3 million children under 5 every year

Question 13

Social and economic impacts of the global sanitation and water supply crisis:

Answer 13

• stunting growth
• cognitive impairment
• reduced productivity
• social impacts
• equity and inclusion issues

Question 14

What are the challenges to solve the global sanitation and water supply crisis?

Answer 14

• population growth
• migration and urbanisation
• water scarcity
• sustainability and human capacity

Question 15

What engineers need to know to solve the global sanitation and water supply crisis:

Answer 15

• understand the environmental transmission pathway of water and excreta diseases, and be able to
• design appropriate low-cost sanitation and water supply systems in urban and rural areas
• plan low-cost sanitation and water-supply programs and projects in an effective and all-inclusive manner, and
• arrange project financing and develop appropriate pricing mechanisms