South West Water supported the charity WaterAid this World Water Day (22 March) to raise awareness of the one in ten people who lack access to clean, safe water.
Employees at South West Water went blue by coming to work dressed all in blue to raise money for WaterAid’s life-saving water, sanitation and hygiene projects.
Bob Taylor, South West Water’s Operations Director – Drinking Water Services, said: “It’s unacceptable that, in this day and age, a child dies every two minutes from diarrhoeal diseases caused by dirty water and poor sanitation. This World Water Day we’re hoping to spread the message that we all have a part to play in helping to end the global water and sanitation crisis, while also raising valuable funds for WaterAid’s vital work in some of the world’s poorest countries.”
Barbara Frost, WaterAid’s Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted that South West Water is supporting WaterAid this World Water Day, and helping us raise awareness of the 663 million people globally who lack access to safe, clean water, having a devastating impact on their health, education, and economic prosperity.
“Clean water should not be a privilege – it is a basic human right. That’s why we’re calling on governments across the world to deliver on their promises to meet the UN sustainable development goal of reaching everyone, everywhere with clean water and sanitation by 2030.”
On World Water Day, WaterAid will be releasing a global report focusing on water security and how this could be affected in a changing climate. Entitled ‘Wild Water’, the report will rank the world’s worst countries for rural access to water and will show how extreme weather events, like cyclones, flooding and drought, will affect communities already struggling to access clean water.
