Donations to the UAE Water Aid campaign have reached Dh90.1 million, it was announced on Saturday.
The amount collected can provide fresh drinking water to more than 3.6 million people in poor countries – 72 per cent of the campaign’s target of five million people.
The Water Aid Campaign, or Suqia, was launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, on the first day of Ramadan.
Donations on the eighth day included Dh2.5m from Drydocks World and Maritime World, while the Kanoo Group donated Dh1m.
World Health Organisation figures show that more than 3.4 million die every year because of thirst and diseases caused by unclean water.
Its figures also show that a child dies every 21 seconds from a water-related illness and 9,863 people die every day from thirst and water-related diseases.
newsdesk@thenational.ae