Globally only one in three people do not have access to clean, safe drinking water. Washing your hands with soap and water, one of the main ways to sanitize yourself, is a privilege that two out of five people do not have access to. In order to achieve other Sustainable Development Goals, access to clean water and better sanitation methods are needed.
Better data is necessary to strengthen water and sanitation infrastructure and programs. Governments need to know where people live, the number of people who have access to clean water and sanitation, and how to target regions in need of resources. Data can help pinpoint where clean water is and aid efforts to combat drought.
Although we take it for granted, sanitation is a physical measure that has probably done more to increase human life span than any kind of drug or surgery.
— Deepak Chopra, author