5 Reasons It’s Important To Have Access to Clean Water

Science talks about how a human body can survive 3 weeks without consuming food. However, in the case of water, no one can go on three to four days without it. In that time period extreme dehydration sets in and even though the person is alive, the body goes into shock and then a vegetative state. Water may just be a more essential element for your body’s sustenance than food. However, the horrific truth of the world is that billions of people around the globe do not have access to clean water.

For developed nations getting clean water in the domestic pipes is as easy as breathing air. But in developing countries, people are forced to drink water deemed unhealthy for consumption.

In other countries, pollution and low regulation standards have decreased the quality of water and therefore the drinking water provided at home is more susceptible to contaminants than a household may know.

Sadly, tons of places around the world are deprived of clean water, and places that do get access to it struggle with a fair distribution of clean water in the different sectors that demand it. Developed countries take for granted access to clean water while developing countries are still having a hard time understanding the repercussions of unsafe water which go beyond diseases.

The target for drinking water has been closer than the target set for cleaning water for sanitation. Un-sanitized water is just wasted water that only loses its purpose but ends up as a threat. Issues related to water highlight the urgency of considering global goals systematically. Clean water needs responsible consumption, intact ecosystems, and sustainable industrializations. Targeted individual approaches are likely to have better effects and greater chances of success. The next step is to build integrated indicators effectively.

The target for drinking water has been closer than the target set for cleaning water for sanitation. Un-sanitized water is just wasted water that only loses its purpose but ends up as a threat. Issues related to water highlight the urgency of considering global goals systematically. Clean water needs responsible consumption, intact ecosystems, and sustainable industrializations. Targeted individual approaches are likely to have better effects and greater chances of success. The next step is to build integrated indicators effectively.

Here are five reasons clean water is a primary necessity for everyone around the world.

Water Gives the Body Nutrients

‘Water is life’, but after hearing it countless times throughout our lives do we really understand what it truly means. Water is our body’s first source of getting the nutrition it needs. Our body is made of 60% water. This is a clear sign of how important water is for our systems to survive. To function at optimal levels, humans need the necessary hydration levels.

Besides this, water helps maintain organ health and allows the blood to maintain its consistency so that it may flow freely through the blood vessels. Staying hydrated maintains blood viscosity making it easier for your cardiovascular system to transport oxygen and nutrients to all parts of your body. This is linked directly to the prevention of heart or blood pressure related problems as well. Remember, drinking adequate amounts of clean water keeps you not just breathing but healthy.

Diseases

Polluted water is not just dirty. It is a poison and can kill you. The United Nations has deemed access to clean drinking water a basic human right, after approximately 2 million people around the world suffered and died from diseases like diarrhea, and cholera all because of contaminated drinking water. Millions of others though surviving still struggle with extreme ailments related to dirty drinking water.

Dirty water gives rise to various diseases like typhoid and hepatitis A even in urban areas. The presence of contaminated water in food items or utensils cleaned with this water can all cause this. The risks are unimaginable if people were exposed to drinking water from contaminated areas like industry sites.

Agriculture

Agriculture is the biggest user of clean blue water. Irrigated agriculture makes less than half of its production with clean water. Food production is said to demand a double in yield by the year 2050 to cater to the twice as much population as we see today. However in whatever form clean water is important for growing food, but with the scarcity, or it being redistributed to industries, cities, and aquatic ecosystems little is left for agriculture. Farmers and governments are left to rely on rainfall and water reserves in the soil to make the crop grow, which if the population keeps growing will soon be difficult to keep up with.

There is a paradox to it as well. Deforestation and expansion in agricultural interests have created shifts in the atmosphere and altered the levels of water that evaporates. This directly changes the patterns of rainfall and thus causes droughts in agricultural areas. Therefore clean water is not just important for us but for our surroundings to thrive as well and offer us other sustenance components like food. Without clean water, there is no food.

The Aquatic Culture

We have already established that clean water is important for life and for production. To create food staples like bread every kilo requires 1608 liters of water, a kilo of cheese requires 3178 liters and rice 2497 liters.

When we talk of aquaculture, it is like how we survive. Most fish like the Tilapia spend their lifetime floating in a lake. The cleaner the water is, the healthier are the fish. In fish farming, this is necessary not only to keep the fish living but so that they remain safe for human consumption.

A lot of corporations actually regulate this. Organizations like Walmart, Kroger, Costco, and Regal Springs all have their fish lake pens undergo extensive water testing to see if the surrounding water is up to peak standard in quality.

Clean Water is Essential for Everything

According to the UN, the access to clean water a basic human right. Similarly, the WHO emphasizes the importance of installing water treatment systems.

Clean water for everything should not be taken as a cliché. It keeps our lawns green. It allows us to drink our daily cup of coffee or tea. It even lets us do the most basic things like taking a shower or flushing the toilet. It also maintains hygiene in our life. Even beyond household use, access to clean water is imperative everywhere.

Unfortunately, we only think of it when there is a drought. We should take measures to not only provide clean water everywhere but also see it as a resource that isn’t infinite and should be protected. As humans we rely on water to live happy lives, we excel in our lifestyles because of it, and so does our ecosystem. A healthy future is only possible if the water in our lives is clean and healthy too.