World Water Day is celebrated around the globe by dozens of organizations that are concerned with improving the Earth's safe water supply. Stagnant floodwaters breed disease. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is marking World Water Day with a commitment to increase its efforts to provide disaster victims with access to clean water and sanitation. We are stepping up our efforts in this vital area because we see increasingly that poor water and sanitation pose the greatest threat during the emergency phase of most disasters. The Federation provides impoverished communities with 20 million liters of water per day, benefiting 1 million people.
Water plays a large role in disaster relief work.
While lack of water can lead to drought and famine, too much can cause catastrophic flooding, crop loss and disease. The current situation in southern Africa, where thousands displaced by floods are threatened by disease and hunger, underscores the need for safe water supplies, Bermejo said. In Kenya, women gather water from an American Red Cross-donated well. The health of the world's population is most affected by contaminated water or by a lack of it, according to a WHO report released in honor of the day. Water sources are often vulnerable.