Vitumbiko, 25, had heard stories about women dying during childbirth at her local clinic in Malawi.
Giving birth at a healthcare facility without access to water brings a whole new, shocking set of challenges.
More than two billion people still lacked access to safe drinking water as of 2015, a 2017 World Health Organisation (WHO) report shows.
Meanwhile, health centres that see more than 200 patients each day make do with just one midwife and one doctor.
A 2014 survey of more than 1 000 health facilities that had access to water showed that only half had adequate hygiene standards and even fewer reported decent sanitation, the 2015 WHO report shows.
Without clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene, it’s impossible for medical staff to deliver quality care, putting the lives of patients in danger and contributing to the spread of diseases and the rise of drug-resistant infections as more antibiotics are needed to battle infections that good hygiene might have prevented.
In Malawi, 634 women die during or after birth for every 100 000 babies born alive, 2015 Unicef statistics reveal.
We cannot expect healthcare facilities without adequate water, sanitation and hygiene to provide health services that will keep patients safe.
If they do, they could adopt a resolution that says every clinic and hospital should have adequate water, sanitation and hygiene.
Vitumbiko’s baby arrived safely and well.

By 2050 world population will be growing about 2.3 billion people and about two third of people may have to experience water scarcity.
In many countries shortage of drinking water is being taken seriously and now it has been recognized as water crisis.
But due to peculiar characteristics of water its conservation is main problem.
Demand of water for life Due to increased population the demand for fresh water is also increased which has direct effect on agricultural production.
Due to climate change droughts are occurring as water scarcity is main issue.
As a result of climate change, stress magnitude on water resources will be increased.
Importance of forests for abundant water There is precise relationship between forests and water.
However regarding public policies for water conservation, the relationship between water and forests is still controversial.
All management practices should be adopted to prevent the additional water losses without compromising on yield.
In context to the assessment of management strategies for crop production there should be improvement in irrigation scheme and irrigation system for management of agricultural water in more sustainable way.

Kabul, 16 December 2018 – The People and Government of Republic of Korea has donated around USD 2.2 million in support of most vulnerable children and women affected by displacement due to drought.
The contribution will protect 21,000 families, more than half are children, from the harsh winter season.
With the onset of the winter the situation is quite dire,” says Adele Khodr, UNICEF Afghanistan Representative.
Children who are already suffering from malnutrition and weak immune systems are more vulnerable to cold winter weather, and I thank UNICEF for taking the lead in helping those children in a prompt and timely manner.” The internally displaced children are in desperate need of assistance.
Many continue to live in makeshift structures, tents and inadequate shelters that will expose them to sub-zero temperatures, heavy snow and strong winds.
Of the over 19,000 children screened in the provincial Herat and Badghis IDP settlements, more than 1,300 were found to be severe acute malnutrition (SAM) cases and were referred for treatment at facilities in both provinces.
Over 3 million people including an estimated 1.6 million children are affected by the impact of drought across the country.
The number of food insecure population is likely to increase to over 6 million people during the winter season.
UNICEF will continue to prioritize its winterization response.
Media Contacts Alison Parker Chief, Communication, Advocacy and Civic Engagement UNICEF Afghanistan Tel: +93 (0) 730 72 71 10 Email:aparker@unicef.org Feridoon Aryan Communication Officer UNICEF Afghanistan Tel: +93 (0) 730 72 71 15 Email: faryan@unicef.org

79,580,618 is the number of people living in EAC countries without basic access to drinking water or over 49% of the population.
What do you mean by basic access to drinking water?
Water which requires trips of longer than 30 minutes to retrieve, or that is sourced from ponds, streams, or unprotected wells is not included in basic service of drinking water.
Even with basic drinking water service, consumer level boiling or other treatment of water is necessary.
How does access to basic drinking water compare to other regions of the world?
Of this figure, 159 million people drink untreated surface water from lakes or streams.
Is basic water access in the EAC improving or declining?
These diseases affect the vulnerable populations the most.
The main challenges are a lack of infrastructure to install pipes to transport water.
What is being done in the EAC to meet the need for basic water access?

Lina Al-Qassab UNICEF, with support from the United Kingdom, has reached 25 villages in east rural Hama with safe drinking water for the first time after years of very limited access to the area.
For families in these areas, the consequences of almost eight years of war have an immense impact on their lives.
In rural Hama, war damage and neglect of the water infrastructure meant that most wells and water sources were no longer functional.
Years of low rainfall have also dried up local wells leaving families in a desperate situation.
To survive, people had to buy water from private providers at very high prices, with few assurances of water quality, putting the health of their families at risk.
This has reportedly increased children’s exposure to waterborne diseases and diarrhoea.
School principals in the area reported increased prevalence of lice and scabies amongst school children.
As scorching August heat drove up the demand for water, UNICEF’s water trucks came to the rescue with one million litres of water trucked every five days to the 25 villages, reaching a total of 60,000 people.
“I used to travel three hours every week with my father to fetch water,” 11-year-old Hayder To increase water storage capacity in the area, UNICEF has also installed ten water tanks with a capacity of 45 cubic metres placed at strategic locations across the affected area.
Furthermore, in Kfaraa village which was described by locals as the first safe point for people fleeing the fighting in the northern parts of the country, UNICEF is running hygiene promotion sessions and distributing water purification tablets to mitigate the risk of relying on other unsafe water sources.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says more people have access to cell phones in Nigeria than they have access to toilets.
Quoting a 2018 report by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Chief of WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), UNICEF, Zaid Jurji, said 140 million people in Nigeria have cell phones, while only 97 million have access to improved sanitation.
Mr Jurji who spoke at a two-day media dialogue on European Union Niger Delta Water Project, in Port Harcourt on Monday, noted that the sanitation sector in Nigeria is severely under resourced, as sanitation is only 19 per cent of WASH budget.
He further added that only 39 per cent Nigerians use an improved toilet that is not shared by more than one household.
Over 46 million people still practice open defecation on Nigeria, with 32 percent living in rural areas and 12 percent in urban areas.
This figure is far from the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG) target by 2030, which aims at achieving universal access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene.
In his remarks, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who was represented by the principal information officer of the ministry, Toye Falayi, urged media partners to sustain advocacy for improve water sanitation and hygiene.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says more people have access to cell phones in Nigeria than they have access to toilets.
Quoting a 2018 report by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Chief of WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), UNICEF, Zaid Jurji, said 140 million people in Nigeria have cell phones, while only 97 million have access to improved sanitation.
Mr Jurji who spoke at a two-day media dialogue on European Union Niger Delta Water Project, in Port Harcourt on Monday, noted that the sanitation sector in Nigeria is severely under resourced, as sanitation is only 19 per cent of WASH budget.
He further added that only 39 per cent Nigerians use an improved toilet that is not shared by more than one household.
Over 46 million people still practice open defecation on Nigeria, with 32 percent living in rural areas and 12 percent in urban areas.
This figure is far from the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG) target by 2030, which aims at achieving universal access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene.
In his remarks, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who was represented by the principal information officer of the ministry, Toye Falayi, urged media partners to sustain advocacy for improve water sanitation and hygiene.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) — A UN report published Monday finds that nearly 570 million children around the world do not have access to drinking water at school.
The first-ever global assessment of water and sanitation in schools, which was conducted by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), shows that 620 million children do not have decent toilets at school and around 900 million cannot wash their hands properly.
The report adds that nearly half, or 47 percent, of the schools, do not provide soap for children.
Researchers also find that children at nursery and primary schools are less likely to have access to clean water and toilets than children at secondary school.
The report warns that this affects young children at an important time for their "cognitive and physical development and growth," adding that diarrhea caused by dirty water and poor toilets kills a child under the age of five every two minutes.
The report underlines the importance of hygiene and sanitation facilities in schools, particularly for girls, who are more likely to attend school and complete their education if these facilities are in place.
One of the sustainable development goals of the United Nations is that all people should have access to decent water and sanitation by 2030.
This means that all households, schools, health care facilities and workplaces should be equipped with decent water and sanitation by then.
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UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) — A UN report published Monday finds that nearly 570 million children around the world do not have access to drinking water at school.
The first-ever global assessment of water and sanitation in schools, which was conducted by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), shows that 620 million children do not have decent toilets at school and around 900 million cannot wash their hands properly.
The report adds that nearly half, or 47 percent, of the schools, do not provide soap for children.
Researchers also find that children at nursery and primary schools are less likely to have access to clean water and toilets than children at secondary school.
The report warns that this affects young children at an important time for their "cognitive and physical development and growth," adding that diarrhea caused by dirty water and poor toilets kills a child under the age of five every two minutes.
The report underlines the importance of hygiene and sanitation facilities in schools, particularly for girls, who are more likely to attend school and complete their education if these facilities are in place.
One of the sustainable development goals of the United Nations is that all people should have access to decent water and sanitation by 2030.
This means that all households, schools, health care facilities and workplaces should be equipped with decent water and sanitation by then.

In the lead up to a High-level Political Forum held at the United Nations in July, which discussed progress and challenges on a range of SDGs, including goal six, WaterAid Australia drew attention to the challenges of achieving the objective.
Based on its current rate of progress, Laos is projected to achieve national access to basic water and sanitation by 2024.
By 2015, more than 91 percent of the population had access to basic water, putting the country on track to achieve universal basic water access by 2025.
“For every dollar spent on water and sanitation, on average $4 is returned in economic benefits, according to World Bank estimates.” In 2000, Papua New Guinea had enabled 36.7 percent of its population to access basic water and 18.7 percent basic sanitation.
Based on this rate of progress, Equatorial Guinea will achieve national coverage for basic water by 3119.
Beginning in 2000, data shows just 16.8 percent of the nation had access to basic water and 7.5 percent access to basic sanitation.
Just over half the population had access to appropriate facilities for basic sanitation in 2015, but with an annual progress of 0.2 percent, the country is projected to achieve basic sanitation targets by 3468.
These three nations also face other challenges.
Despite national basic water coverage, 1 percent of Germany’s population has no access to basic sanitation.
Although projections show the challenging road ahead for water and sanitation, they do not factor in additional challenges — such as future natural disasters, conflicts, and economic crises — have in achieving universal access targets.