n Chhloung district, in rural Cambodia, a lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation facilities mean children and their families are highly susceptible to disease. This is because people are forced to use unsafe water from damaged wells or fetch dirty water from local creeks. They must also go to the toilet in the forest, use leaves instead of toilet paper and wash their hands with water from rice fields rather than with soap.

“I need to carry 20 litres of water with a barrel and walk around 1km from the creek to my home twice a day,” says 12-year-old Yin Meas (pictured above), who lives in a remote, mountainous area of Chhloung, located about 27km from the closet main road. “Sometimes I fall down and injure my arm and leg and break the barrel. I used to get typhoid and had to go to the health centre several times last year,” he adds.

What health problems are caused by unclean water?

For young children, diseases like typhoid, hepatitis and diarrhoea can be fatal. Rath Eav, the commune vice-chief of Yin Meas village says: “Most people, especially children, in this village get diseases related to stomach and intestine problems.” She explains that this is mainly caused by a lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation facilities.

“The majority of people, around 90 per cent, in this village do not have a toilet or a well. Some share with those who do have a well and some go to the nearby creek and carry water home. The wells in our village are very old and consist of rust that contaminates the water,” Rath Eav says.