emblem
Back to WHO/Europe home page

Water and sanitation

Safe drinking water is not yet guaranteed to everyone in the European region (Photo: WHO/Richard Carr)

Active and effective help from WHO

WHO/Europe helps Member States to combat ill health from water-related diseases by:

  • supporting the implementation of the Protocol on Water and Health, the first international instrument for the prevention, control and reduction of water-related diseases in Europe;
  • building capacity at the regional, subregional and country levels;
  • collaborating in developing, revising and updating WHO manuals and guidelines.

Clean and safe water combats ill health

In the European Region 120 million people do not have access to safe drinking-water. Even more lack access to sanitation, resulting in waterborne diseases like diarrhoeal diseases, typhoid fever and hepatitis A.

Microbial contamination has been recognized as the prime concern throughout the European Region. Chemical pollution is localized but may also have a significant impact on health. Emerging diseases from some micro-organisms and some chemicals pose additional short-term challenges. Extreme weather events such as floods and increased water scarcity are serious mid- and long-term threats.