Mark Hendriksen

In last week’s edition of ‘The Daily Poo!’ we mentioned the global problems that remain a major issue for the people they impact, ie the sanitation and hygiene (or lack of it) in many areas of the world, along with lack of access to clean water or any water at all. There are many statistics bandied around, which can be somewhat confusing and blur the distinction between the various issues that need addressing, so let’s try and unravel the stats and give you a clearer picture on what’s really happening out there.

Key organisations in working to resolve the above problems include; The World Toilet Organisation set up by a guy called Jack Sim on November 19 2001 [also, World Toilet Day]. This is aligned to the United Nations who work closely with Jack on their sustainable development goals along with efforts to end open defecation. The World Health Organisation [WHO], UNICEF and The Bill Gates Foundation are other major influences, and the list is growing, as this rather ‘taboo’ subject dramatically affects both people, and the environment around the globe.

1. The World Population was approx. 7.6 billion as at end of 2018 according to data from The World Bank, which aligns with the figure given by the United Nations. You can read the country by country split on the above link.
2. 2 billion people still have no access to basic sanitation such as toilets or latrines, that’s around 25% of the world population! Of these, 673 million still defecate in the open, for example in street gutters, behind bushes or into open bodies of water. [WHO]
3. Inadequate sanitation means that around 827,000 deaths annually from people in low and middle-income countries as a result of inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene each year. Poor sanitation also contributes to malnutrition. [WHO]
4. More than 80 per cent of wastewater (resulting from human activities) is discharged into rivers or sea without any pollution removal. [UN]
5. At the current time, more than 2 billion people are living with the risk of reduced access to freshwater resources and by 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water. [UN]
6. According to the World Health Organization and UNICEF, sanitation rated as “safe for people” increased by only three percent worldwide over the last five years.
7. Globally, 26% of health care facilities did not have basic water services in 2016. [WASH]

All of this data simply touches the surface on a problem that many of us neither experience, nor read much about. It is something that needs to be urgently addressed and the likes of Jack Sim and The World Toilet Organisation getting greater attention, media coverage and support.

Finally let’s end on a brief round up of other news from the world of loos and no. 2s from ‘The Daily Poo!‘ So, here are a few links to the most recent articles:

1. The Whale Poop that’s worth more than your car!
2. How Sea Urchin Poop Could Fight Climate Change.
3. Top tip for Tourists in New Zealand: Dig a hole for your poop.
4. What’s the Difference Between Toilet Paper and Tissue?
5. Russian artist rings in new year with huge rat sculpture… made of poop!
6. Further to our mention of Aesop Post Poo-Drops in the last blog, here’s an article that gives them the thumbs up, and odour down…

On which note… have a great week and we’ll catch up again with all the latest news and views from the loo in ‘The Daily Poo!’