Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)

A Library Subject Guide providing suggested resources and other information for beginning research about Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

Overview
Everyone needs clean water, safe toilets, and good hygiene habits to stay healthy, but not everyone has access to these essentials. Today, millions of people around the world do not have clean water to drink, and billions do not have a safe place to go to the bathroom. This can lead to serious illnesses like cholera, typhoid, and diarrhea, which are especially dangerous for infants and children.

Children living in urban settlements and rural areas are more likely than others to be cut off from clean water and sanitation. So too are those growing up in places affected by climate change: From droughts to floods to heat waves, extreme weather events are making water sources less safe as they become more scarce.

Universal access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene has the potential to greatly reduce global disease burden. Investing in water and sanitation interventions brings economic, environmental, quality of life, and health benefits. WASH also plays a key role in improving nutritional outcomes, particularly among children.

Access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene remains a significant global challenge, with over 2 billion people lacking clean drinking water at home, 1.5 billion lacking basic sanitation facilities, and 2 billion lacking basic hygiene services