Safe water and proper sanitation facilities are basic human needs and it is appalling to note that billions of people around the world still do not have proper access to both, said an editorial comment in the English language daily, The Gulf Today.

According to a joint report titled "Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: 2017 Update and Sustainable Development Goal Baselines", released by the World Health Organisation and the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, recently, some three in ten people around the world lack access to safe and readily available water at home, and almost six in ten lack access to safely managed sanitation.

"Many homes, healthcare facilities and schools also lack soap and water for handwashing, putting the health of all people, especially children, at risk," added the daily, continuing, "As a result of lack of these basic services, millions fall ill to diseases that could, otherwise, have been easily prevented, such as diarrhoea which claims the lives of thousands of children under the age of five every year. Good hygiene is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent the spread of diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, and typhoid.

"However, findings in the report revealed that access to water and soap for handwashing varies immensely in the 70 countries with available data, from 15 percent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa to 76 percent in western Asia and northern Africa.

"These significant inequalities put the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 6 on ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, at a huge risk.

"The two UN agencies have also warned that in as many as 90 countries around the world, progress towards basic sanitation is too slow. This means they would not reach universal coverage by 2030 and that is hardly comfortable news.

"The UAE deserves praise for constantly striving to achieve the highest standards of sustainability in water security despite the limited natural fresh water supplies, reduced average rainfall and high temperatures. The UAE has implemented several projects, including "UAE Water Aid" that helped over eight million people in 19 countries until April 2016.

"All countries have a responsibility to ensure that everyone has access to safe water and sanitation facilities," concluded the Sharjah-based daily.