Safe Water Scarce for 1.1 Billion

NAIROBI, Kenya – Mismanagement, limited resources and environmental damage have combined to deny 1.1 billion people access to safe water, a U.N. report said Thursday.

Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the hardest-hit areas, where ecological degradation, poor water management and a burgeoning population have led to water shortages exacerbating poverty, disease and drought, the report said.

The report was compiled by 24 U.N. agencies, who say it is the most comprehensive assessment to date of the planet’s fresh water.

Globally, diarrheal diseases and malaria kill about 3.1 million people a year. The U.N. said 1.6 million could be saved if they had safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene.

Water use has increased six-fold in the past century, double the rate of population growth, the report said. More water is needed for food production, which must grow by 55 percent to meet food needs by 2030.