Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is a basic necessity. However, such access is highly variable around the world and in particular in Africa, Asia and South America. Much progress still remains to be made in infrastructure improvements and poverty reduction. A recent World Bank report, for example, noted that more than 100 million people in the Latin American region alone lack access to potable water and adequate sanitation systems. Compounding the issue of water availability is contamination of water supplies and the lack of wastewater treatment facilities. This affects human health. The presence of lead as well as excess agricultural fertilizer in the environment, for.
