WASH stands for water, sanitation, and hygiene. The acronym WASH is widely used in the context of humanitarian aid and development work by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and United Nations agencies. Access to safe water and sanitation is a human right.
More than 2.2 billion of people around the world lack access to safe drinking water. 3.5 billion people live without safely managed sanitation. Of those, 1.7 billion people lack basic sanitation, and more than 400 million people practice open defecation. 2 billion people do not have access to basic hygiene such as handwashing facilities with soap.
Reliable access to WASH services (safe water, basic sanitation, basic hygiene) saves lives, makes communities more resilient, and improves livelihoods. In humanitarian crises around the world, people urgently need safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH services) to survive and to prevent the spread of water-borne disease. Investments in water security, sanitation and hygiene are critical for progress in global development.
At least 1.4 million people die each year from preventable causes linked to unsafe water, water-related diseases and poor sanitation. Among them are an estimated 446,000 children under five that die from diarrhea.