Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, August 15, 2002
Water Pollution: Biggest Killer of Children in Asian-Pacific
Polluted water and poor sanitation is the single biggest killer of children in Asia and the Pacific, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission forthe region said in a new publication released Wednesday.
Polluted water and poor sanitation is the single biggest killer of children in Asia and the Pacific, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission forthe region said in a new publication released Wednesday.
According to "State of the Environment in Asia and the Pacific 2000," a joint publication of the UN commission and the Asian Development Bank, most of the victims live in Asia.
"Worldwide, more children have died from the effects of severe diarrhoea than all the people killed through armed conflicts sinceWorld War II," it noted.
Growing populations, urbanization, and economic development areplacing great pressures on the quantity and quality of Asia's freshwater supply, according to the study.
The publication, released ahead of an upcoming UN forum on the environment and development in Johannesburg, blame the tragedy squarely on inadequately enforced legislation in recent years, as well as ineffective water resource planning, management and coordination.