Water, sanitation and hygiene - ISS-G20 Laboratorium Repository

Over the past decades, substantial progress has been made towards improving access to safe drinking-water and adequate sanitation and hygiene across the WHO European Region. However, gaps persist in providing safe and equitable water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services for all in all settings. Consequently, the Region continues to experience water-related disease outbreaks impairing health, well-being and livelihoods.

Climate change is expected to impact the availability and quality of freshwater resources and challenge access to safe WASH services. Other emerging concerns include, for example, the environmental dispersal and transmission of antimicrobial resistance and the role that WASH and wastewater factors play in this, the hazards posed to freshwater resources by persistent anthropogenic chemicals, and the proliferation of legionella in building water systems.

Entire content available on: https://www.who.int/europe/news-room/fact-sheets/item/water--sanitation-and-hygiene