of causes related to poor
the moral argument for investing in water
and sanitation, the economic argument
is equally compelling: For every Us$1
allocated to sanitation, as much as $9
is returned in increased economic
development. Meeting the water and
sanitation targets under the Un
Millennium development goals would
lead to economic benefi ts worth $38
billion annually for developing countries,
through increased workforce productivity,
decreased health care costs, and
greater tourism. "When you talk to the
government of Cambodia and say that
poor sanitation is causing diarrhea,
health. When you say the country is
losing 7 percent of its gdp [gross
domestic product] to poor sanitation,
that's a conversation for the minister
of fi nance, and all of a sudden the whole
discourse changes," says jae so,
manager of the Water and sanitation
program at the World bank.
for about 20 percent of the fresh water
used globally. "Many companies are
realizing that water is a material issue to
their business and are taking steps
to protect the resource, both for their
own operations and for the communities
in which they work," says Monica ellis,
chief executive of the global Water