International Development Secretary, Douglas Alexander, has compared sanitary conditions in developing countries today with the situation in London 150 years ago when Parliament had to be closed owing to sewage running through the streets of the capital and a stench from the River Thames – an event that has been called ‘The Great Stink’. Today more than 1 billion people living in developing countries have no toilets and 900 million have no access to clean water. Mr. Alexander’s response has been an announcement that the Department of International Development plans to build more than 50 million toilets and provide clean drinking water to more than 25 million people in developing countries over the next five years. This plan is part of the department’s broader strategy to help poor countries in Africa and Asia to better manage their water resources and fight the effects of climate change.