Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Africa Water & Sanitation & Hygiene Nov-Dec 2017 | Page 27

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Sanitation
FACTSHEET
World Toilet Day 2017:
Where does our poo go?
WHAT IS THE CHALLENGE?
World Toilet Day 2017 continues the theme from
World Water Day earlier this year, with the focus on
wastewater.
As part of this topic, we are asking the question,
‘Where does our poo go?’ For billions of people
around the world, sanitation systems are either
non-existent or ineffective. Poo gets out into the en-
vironment and spreads killer diseases, seriously un-
dermining progress in health and child survival. Even
in wealthy countries, treatment of wastewater can
be far from perfect, leading to rivers and coastlines
that cannot be safely fished in or enjoyed.
To achieve SDG 6, we need everyone’s poo to be con-
tained, transported, treated and disposed of in a safe
and sustainable way. In addition to the profound im-
pact this will have on health and living conditions,
safely-managed wastewater has massive potential
as an affordable and sustainable source of energy,
nutrients and water.
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