A collation of statistics on population density, water, sanitation and hygiene for 100 countries throws up disturbing trends
In deep shit
This is what most developing countries are in |
| Country |
Total population
(millions) |
Annual excrement
production
(million metric tonnes) |
Annual excrement
not disposed of safely
(million metric tonnes) |
| Afghanistan |
28.7 |
2.7 |
2.4 |
| Bangladesh |
146.7 |
13.9 |
7.2 |
| Brazil |
176.5 |
16.7 |
4 |
| Burkina Faso |
13.2 |
1.3 |
0.9 |
| Cambodia |
12.6 |
1.2 |
1 |
| China |
1,288.7 |
122.3 |
73.4 |
| Ethiopia |
70.7 |
6.7 |
5.9 |
| Fiji |
0.9 |
< 0.1 |
< 0.1 |
| India |
1,068.6 |
101.4 |
73 |
| Iran |
66.6 |
6.3 |
1.1 |
| Kenya |
31.6 |
3 |
0.4 |
| Laos |
6.0 |
0.6 |
0.4 |
| Mali |
11.6 |
1.1 |
0.3 |
| Mauritius |
1.2 |
0.1 |
< 0.1 |
| Nepal |
25.2 |
2.4 |
1.7 |
| Pakistan |
149.1 |
14.1 |
5.4 |
| Palestine |
3.6 |
0.3 |
< 0.1 |
| Russia |
145.5 |
13.8 |
no data |
| Saudi Arabia |
24.1 |
2.3 |
< 0.1 |
| Sierra Leone |
5.7 |
0.5 |
0.2 |
| Somalia |
8.0 |
0.8 |
no data |
| South Africa |
44.0 |
4.2 |
0.5 |
| Sri Lanka |
19.3 |
1.8 |
0.1 |
| Vietnam |
80.8 |
7.7 |
4.1 |
| Zambia |
12.6 |
1 |
0.2 |
|
• There is a direct link between sanitation and infant mortality. Take Afghanistan. Here, 87 per cent and 88 per cent of the population lack access to improved water supply and sanitation respectively. This translates into deaths of 48,000 children per annum
• In Rwanda 92 per cent of excrement is not disposed off safely. This is followed by Afghanistan and Ethiopia at 88 per cent
• Among the surveyed countries, Bangladesh has the highest population density of 1,019 people per square kilometre (sq km). Mongolia has the least at 2 people per sq km
• 519,500 Indian children die annually due to lack of sanitation and poor hygiene. The under-five mortality rate is 93.
• Out of the 100 countries studied, Sierra Leone has the highest under-five infant mortality rate at 316, followed by Afghanistan at 257
• In both Afghanistan and Ethiopia , 88 per cent of excrement is not disposed of safely. India ns generate101.4 milion metric tonnes of excrement per annum and 72 per cent isn't disposed of.
Poor sanitation and
infant mortality
A link still not understood by many |
| Country |
Percentage of
population without access to improved water supply |
Percentage of
population without access to improved sanitation |
Estimated annual
number of children dying from poor hygiene |
Under-five
mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) |
| Afghanistan |
87 |
88 |
48,000 |
257 |
| Bangladesh |
3 |
52 |
21,000 |
77 |
| Burkina Faso |
58 |
71 |
19,300 |
197 |
| Cambodia |
70 |
83 |
10,700 |
138 |
| Ethiopia |
76 |
88 |
95,500 |
172 |
| India |
16 |
72 |
519,500 |
93 |
| Kenya |
43 |
13 |
22,000 |
122 |
| Laos |
63 |
70 |
1,200 |
100 |
| Mali |
94 |
31 |
24,100 |
231 |
| Sierra Leone |
43 |
34 |
15,500 |
316 |
| Somalia |
no data |
no data |
14,400 |
225 |
| South Africa |
14 |
13 |
10,600 |
71 |
| Zambia |
36 |
22 |
18,400 |
202 |
|
Source: Anon 2004, Listening, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, Switzerland.
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