Final answer:
The statement regarding disease in developing countries being linked to the lack of basic water and sanitation services is true. Contaminated water and inadequate sanitation lead to various health issues and fatalities, highlighting the need for global efforts to improve access to these essential services.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that much disease in the developing world is due to a lack of clean, safe water and sanitary treatment of sewage is true. According to United Nations agencies like UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), billions globally lack access to safely managed drinking water and sanitation services. The consequences of this are dire, with significant impacts on health and mortality, particularly among children under the age of five who are at high risk from waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid. Poor sanitation is intertwined with inadequate facilities for handling sewage, leading to widespread contamination and public health crises. The lack of such basic services hinders social and economic development, as waterborne illnesses impede education, reduce productivity, and strain healthcare systems.
Improving water quality and sanitation is critical to reducing the incidence of water-related diseases. The current global water crisis not only emphasizes the enormous scale of the issue, with 1.1 billion lacking access to safe drinking water and 2.6 billion without adequate sanitation but also underlines the potential benefits of improving water resources. Global improvement in water safety and sanitation could prevent a significant percentage of diseases and deaths worldwide. The struggle for access to water and sanitation is also a fight for social justice, as these challenges disproportionately affect the poor.