The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said on Tuesday that increase of water pollution has placed over 320 million people in Africa, Asia and Latin America at risk of contracting life-threatening diseases. The diseases include cholera and typhoid.
UNEP said that about 3.4 million people on the three continents die each year from diseases associated with bacteria, viruses or other microorganisms in the water.
It said that many of these diseases were caused by human waste in water.
“The increasing amount of wastewater being dumped into our surface waters is deeply troubling,” UNEP Chief Scientist, Jacqueline McGlade said.
The main reasons behind the rise in surface water pollution are population growth, increased economic activity, the expansion and intensification of agriculture.
Others causes according to UNEP is an increase in the amount of untreated sewage discharged into rivers and lakes. (dpa/NAN)
