Fresh water scarcity in impoverished or conflict-ridden regions rob billions of access to the most effective measure in battling the coronavirus pandemic: simple hygiene. The lack of regular water supply – it’s hard to wash hands without it – could undermine recovery efforts.
Hand washing is considered as one of the most effective measures in restricting the spread of the pathogen, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). A recent study found a correlation between the size of a country’s COVID-19 outbreak and the weakness of its handwashing culture, as measured by the percentage of the population who told pollsters they don’t automatically wash their hands after using the bathroom.
Yet, currently, two out of five people in the world face a severe household water shortage. Around 3 billion people don’t have access to running water and soap at home, and 4 billion experience severe water scarcity for at least one month a year, according to the United Nations group UN-Water.
Across Africa, more than half of the continent’s 1.3 billion people must leave their homes to get water, according to the Afrobarometer research group. In Venezuela, a study found that 73% of people receive an irregular supply of water and 19.6% did not receive any running water in the past seven days.
In India, more than half of districts face groundwater depletion or contamination, according to the World Bank, and this year almost 33% of the population has already suffered from droughts or drought-like conditions.
India is not the only example where problems with handwashing and proper sanitation have exacerbated the pandemic. Water scarcity in such areas as Brazil, Haiti, and across sub-Saharan Africa has also taken a grim toll on the populations and likely contributed to higher rates of infections.
The UN projects that the world needs to spend $6.7 trillion on water infrastructure by 2030 not only to cover urgent sanitation needs, but to tackle long-term issues stemming from the pandemic.
Water scarcity as it relates to hygiene has long been a global concern and an area in dire need of improvement. It may be that the pandemic prods a more sincere and robust commitment and policy toward boosting regular water service.
