( CNN ) -- Contaminated and polluted water now kills more people than all forms of violence including wars , according to a United Nations report released Monday that calls for turning unsanitary wastewater into an environmentally safe economic resource . `` At the beginning of the 21st century , the world faces a water crisis , both of quantity and quality , caused by continuous population growth , industrialization , food production practices , increased living standards and poor water use strategies , '' the report by the U.N. Environmental Program says . As a result , `` it is essential that wastewater management is considered as part of integrated , ecosystem-based management that operates across sectors and borders , freshwater and marine . '' The report defines wastewater as a combination of fertilizer runoff , sewage disposal and other animal , agricultural and industrial wastes . Wastewater a deadly threat . According to the report -- titled `` Sick Water ? '' -- 90 percent of wastewater discharged daily in developing countries is untreated , contributing to the deaths of some 2.2 million people a year from diarrheal diseases caused by unsafe drinking water and poor hygiene . At least 1.8 million children younger than 5 die every year from water-related diseases , the report says . But with proper management , the report notes , `` wastewater can be an essential resource for supporting livelihoods . '' For example , some of the chemicals that make wastewater a pollutant , such as nitrogen and phosphorous , can also be useful as fertilizers for agriculture . `` If the world is to thrive , let alone to survive on a planet of 6 billion people heading to over 9 billion by 2050 , we need to get collectively smarter and more intelligent about how we manage waste , including wastewaters , '' said Achim Steiner , U.N. under-secretary general and executive director of UNEP . Despite the staggering statistics included in the report , it `` also points to the abundant Green Economy opportunities for turning a mounting challenge into an opportunity with multiple benefits , '' Steiner said , citing reduced fertilizer costs , incentives for conserving such ecological infrastructures as wetlands and salt marshes , and business opportunities in engineering and natural resource management . The report acknowledges that such opportunities will require large-scale investments , such as multimillion dollar sewage treatment plants . `` Financing and investment are urgently needed and must address design , ecosystem restoration construction , operation and maintenance of wastewater infrastructure , '' the report says . But it also offers up simpler solutions , such as education `` to ensure water , nutrients and future opportunities for employment and development are not wasted . '' The report 's release was timed to coincide with World Water Day , an initiative started in 1992 that aims to raise the profile of water quality .
U.N. report : Polluted water kills about 2.2 people a year ; wars claim fewer victims per year . Report also says wastewater could become a problem if treated . Upfront investment to build treatment plants would be expensive , report says .