Two out of five people worldwide lack access to a toilet. One out of six does not have access to safe drinking water. This lack contributes to two million child deaths a year, reduces school attendance, and is a fundamental deprivation of human dignity. Lack of sanitation pollutes water resources.
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Much of Bank investment in middle-income countries is in urban sewage and wastewater treatment, areas of special concern for these countries. For instance, in Colombia, improved urban sanitation has resulted in untreated wastewater flowing into rivers. The Bank Group supports utilities in Colombiato increase wastewater treatment and become efficient organizations using homegrown solutions. But the Bank also supports access to basic services for the many still lacking. For instance, the Bank helped the government of Brazil launch a pilot project called PROSANEAR. After extending services to nearly one million urban poor, PROSANEAR became a national program financed fully by national funds. (…)
Source: World Bank
Sanitation Updates 