Strengthening the Quality of Household Water Treatment Products on a Global Scale: World Health Organization

Worldwide, accessibility and availability of safe and wholesome water is a crucial determinant for the public health and plays a defining role in the nation’s economic growth and reduction of poverty reduction.[1] In fact, the global estimates suggest that in excess of 90% of the world’s population had access to an improved drinking water source, compared with 1990’s estimates.[1] Further, almost 4.2 billion and 2.4 billion people across the world now get water througha piped connection and through other improved sources, respectively.[1,2] Access to sufficient, continuous, and safe water for personal and domestic use has been not only recognized as a human right, but also even acknowledged as a part of the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals.[1] Still in the current global scenario, at least 1.9 billion people are still consuming water whichis contaminated with human or animal excreta.[3] Further, a wide range of variations has been observed in the quality of water, not only between rural and urban areas, but also even within urban areas, especially people living in slums or illegal settings.[2,4]