World Water Day 2018: WHO’s Heart-Breaking Facts Reveal Why We Should Be Grateful for Water
Billions of people around the world drink water with faeces in it!
Every year, on March 22, world celebrates World Water Day and the theme this year is ‘Nature for Water.’ This year’s theme focuses on creating nature-based solutions (NBS) such as planting more trees, reconnecting rivers to floodplains and restoring wetlands to reinforce the water balance and alleviate the effects of climate change, thereby improving human health and livelihoods. Water is the elixir that sustains life all over the planet. But despite being such an essential commodity, many around the globe don’t have access to clean, drinking water. On the occasion of World Water Day 2018, World Health Organisation (WHO) has released a set of startling facts that makes you
No safe drinking water for 2.1 billion people
Most of us don’t give a second thought to water. As of today, there are around 2.1 billion people around the world who don’t have access to clean drinking water.
Surface drinking water the only source for 159 million people
Surface sources refer to water bodies above the ground through which water is used for consumption. Rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, etc. comprise these sources, which may not be safe for drinking. They may contain bacteria, parasites, viruses and other contaminants that can he hazardous for health.
A 30-minute round trip every day for clean drinking water for 6.5 billion people
For us, quenching thirst is as simple as turning a tap on or fetching a water bottle from the refrigerator. Imagine having to walk through hostile terrain for thirty minutes for a sip of water. That’s the status of 6.5 billion people around the world who make a round trip of 30 minutes every day to get clean drinking water.
Around 2 billion people
The only “potable” water in some parts of the world for 2 billion people is loaded with faeces, both human and animal. Recreational water, as it is called, contain a mixture of disease-causing pathogens such as salmonella, rotavirus, faecal streptococci and e coli, which can trigger infections in the gastrointestinal system, upper respiratory tract, ears, eyes, nose and skin. Diarrhoeal deaths caused by faecal contamination of drinking water causes 502,000 diarrhoeal deaths every year.
By 2025, 25 percent of the population won’t get clean water to drink
WHO report states that in seven years from today, 25 percent of the world will live in water-stressed areas, without access to clean, drinking water.
Water is important, not only as a means of sustenance and public health but also for the overall betterment of the nation. When there is improved water supply and better sanitation facilities, economies can boom and poverty can be wiped out of the face of the planet. That’s why we need to observe World Water Day every year to focus the world’s attention on the worth of water.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 22, 2018 10:44 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).