The Stream, September 19: A Child Dies Every Five Seconds, Often Due to Poor Water and Sanitation Conditions, Says UN

The Global Rundown

A child dies every five seconds worldwide, according to the United Nations, largely due to inadequate water, sanitation, and nutrition. Floodwaters from Hurricane Florence breach a handful of hog manure lagoons and drown millions of chickens in North Carolina. The Iraqi government warns that the country is losing five percent of its farmland to desertification each year. India sets a record food production target for 2018-2019, citing high reservoir levels. Saudi Arabia announces a confirmed cholera case in Jizan, near the Yemeni border. Nigeria declares a national disaster in four states as rains and flash floods leave 100 people dead.

“The water started coming this month and after a while, it appeared behind our houses and continued without let-up until last week when the water surrounded our houses.” –Angulu Atodo, a resident of Lokoja, Nigeria, in reference to deadly flooding over the past few days. According to government data, 100 people have died so far in 10 different states amid heavy rains and flooding. A national disaster has been declared in the states of Kogi, Niger, Anambra, and Delta. Al Jazeera

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By The Numbers

36 inches Rain that has fallen in parts of North Carolina since Thursday due to Hurricane Florence. Floodwaters from the deluge have killed nearly 2 million chickens and collapsed the walls of two hog manure lagoons, raising the risk of water contamination. According to meteorologists, the floods are expected to worsen as rains continue to overwhelm rivers. Reuters

90 percent Proportion of Iraq’s land that is now desert, mostly due to water shortages caused by years of dry weather. The country’s remaining farmland is shrinking by five percent each year. To help combat the food and water shortages, the government says it will begin cultivating crops. Al Jazeera

Science, Studies, And Reports

A new United Nations report says that 6.3 million children died before their 15th birthday in 2017, an average of one child every five seconds. Most of these deaths were preventable, according to researchers, and were largely caused by inadequate access to water, sanitation, nutrition, and healthcare. Reuters

On The Radar

One confirmed case and three suspected cholera cases have been identified in Jizan, Saudi Arabia, near the Yemeni border. Health officials are unsure if the cases are linked to Yemen’s ongoing cholera epidemic or if they originated elsewhere. Reuters

Spotlight: India

Follow The Stream for daily coverage on India’s water crisis.

India’s central government set a record grain output target for the 2018-2019 season, anticipating 285.2 million tonnes of food production. According to officials, crop conditions are excellent and reservoir levels are favorable following above-average monsoon rains in many areas. The Economic Times

Kayla Ritter

Kayla Ritter is a recent graduate of Michigan State University, where she studied International Relations and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She is currently based in Manton, Michigan. Kayla enjoys running, writing, and traveling. Contact Kayla Ritter