Access to safe water and basic sanitation is needed to maintain and improve health. Polluted water and lack of sanitation increase the risk for various diseases, including cholera, typhoid, schistosomiasis, respiratory infections, skin infections, eye infections, and even some cancers through exposure to carcinogens. There are still currently more than 700 million people, mostly the poor and marginalised people in low-and middle-income countries that lack access to improved sources of drinking water. Access to improved sanitation is also a substantial problem for low-and middle-income countries where approximately 2.5 billion people do not use any improved toilets, with one billion people still practicing open defecation.
This article analyses the survey data from 2004-2014 to describe household trends in access to improved water and sanitation separately, and to identify factors associated with access to improved water and sanitation facilities in combination, in Chi Linh Town in Vietnam. The results will help to draw a comprehensive picture of the water and sanitation situation at local level, and inform policymakers about the direction that adequate access to improved water sources and sanitation is heading. Read more
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