Sanitation and Hygiene

Globally, an estimated 2.6 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation, and current efforts to improve access are not adequate to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving the number of people without access to improved sanitation by 2015.

At the current rate of progress, the world will miss the MDG target by 13 percentage points and by 2015 there will be 2.7 billion people without access to basic sanitation. Even if we were able to meet the MDG target, there would still be 1.7 billion people without access to basic sanitation, according to the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation.

The World Bank is more and more investing in demand-responsive, cost-effective, safe sanitation and hygiene promotion approaches in rural and urban areas, all aimed at protecting human health as well as the environment. The World Bank’s investment in sanitation also goes toward urban sewage systems and wastewater treatment to protect the environment.

For more information, see the Sanitation Resource Guide, which includes hygiene promotion as well as basic sanitation, sewerage, and wastewater treatment.

Promoting hygiene
Every day, 6,000 children die from diseases associated with inadequate sanitation, poor hygiene, and unsafe water. Diarrhea alone kills one child every 20 seconds. To reduce the transmission of the deadly bacteria that cause diarrhea, people need an understanding of the disease transmission process and the steps that can break it, such as washing their hands at critical times, as much as they need toilets and washbasins. The World Bank, including the Water and Sanitation Program, works with partners at the local, national and global levels to leverage country programs that promote improved hygiene practices.

Improving access to basic sanitation
The World Bank supports policies and projects that create capable institutions with appropriate financing mechanisms, incentives for investment, and technologies that promote sanitation and hygiene in communities, schools, and public places.

Building sewer systems
Sewer systems, which convey wastewater to a treatment plant or other disposal point, protect human health and the environment, and promote urban development. Needs for the pipes and pumps that connect urban households to sewer systems are growing. Moreover, many older sewer networks have been poorly maintained and need rehabilitation. Sewer connections are featured in almost all International Bank for Reconstruction and Development investments for wastewater and sanitation and are sometimes included in International Development Association sanitation and wastewater projects as well.

Increasing wastewater treatment
Rapid urbanization and population growth, expansion of piped water services, and increased per capita water use all lead to greater volumes of wastewater discharge. Untreated, this discharge can harm biodiversity in rivers, pollute lakes and coastal waters, and affect public health. The World Bank supports investments that will lead to sustainable improvements in sanitation, hygiene, and wastewater treatment and management in peri-urban, urban, small town, and rural communities.

Publications on Sanitation and Hygiene