THE access to water and proper sanitation should be simultaneously talked about, while simultaneously being provided in the developing world. Approximately 1.1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and 2.6 billion are without improved sanitation. It is estimated that 5,000 children die daily from diseases related to the lack of safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation or poor hygiene. Diarrhoea is one of the world’s leading killers of children. Poor sanitation is also linked to the spread of intestinal worms, pneumonia and cholera. As much as we’ve made economic progress, it’s still important to remember that Guyana is still a developing country. We’d do ourselves an injustice to believe otherwise. There’s still evidence of poverty, lack of safe drinking water and proper sanitation in this very country—we don’t have to look too far for real-life examples.

It is said that inadequate or proper sanitation is a leading cause of poverty. If we want to directly reduce poverty and improve the quality of lives people live—we have to actively work towards changing simple things such as how they access water, how they manage their waste, how they go to the toilet and what systems are in place to manage human waste. Guyana does not have a modernised sewage treatment plant or system to manage human waste. In communities where flush toilets are scarce, how do we ensure these people manage their waste properly to prevent contamination and spreading deadly diseases? Most of our drainage systems are open and easily accessible. What does that waste end up in our waterways, where children can access these areas easily?

There are efforts to ensure that each community in Guyana has access to water by the year 2025. Yet, there are FAQ websites with information about our water being unsafe, warning tourists not to drink it—only to drink certain bottled waters. Don’t believe me? A quick google check will show you all that you need to know. Now, even if we somehow manage to get water to all of our communities; how do we ensure that water is safe to drink and use? We also have to make mention of sanitation at all times, as we speak on the access to water. The access to clean and safe water also allows for the improvement of sanitation. Why? Well, the water needed for one flush is equivalent to what an average person uses each day in some of the poorest countries in the world. It’s unbelievable to even think about but that’s the sad reality.

People who don’t have access to flush toilets use pits or latrines. Sometimes the waste of these is dumped into waterways and people eventually have to drink that very water. To think, in this era where we have computers fitting into our pockets with technological advances like no other—there are still people without such a basic human necessity for survival. I’ve written this column piece not to overshadow the hard work that others have made to ensure that innovative solutions are implemented to help solve this crisis. I’ve written this piece to ensure you don’t forget about the facts and realities many adults and children in developing countries face. We have to continue this conversation and make sure that we do everything in our power to get this resolved. There’s a reason why, “water is life” is a popular quote—it’s because it very much is.