Importance of Safe Drinking Water On Public Health

IMPORTANCE OF
SAFE DRINKING
WATER ON
PUBLIC HEALTH
Science clearly states that a human being can
survive three weeks without food, but where
water is concerned most people can’t go on 3-
4 days without it!
WATER-ITS IMPORTANCE AND SOURCE
The Importance of water
Water is one of the most important substances on earth. All plants and animals must have water to
survive. If there was no water there would be no life on earth.
The Importance Of Water
Apart from drinking it to survive, people have many other uses for water.
These include:
• cooking
• washing their bodies
• washing clothes
• washing cooking and eating utensils; such as bellies, saucepans, crockery
and cutlery
• keeping houses and communities clean
• recreation; such as swimming pools
• keeping plants alive in gardens and parks
It is most important that the water which people drink
and use for other purposes is clean water.
Water that is safe for drinking is called potable water

All the action taken to make sure that drinking water
is potable is called water treatment.
SOURCES OF
WATER
SURFACE WATER-This Is Water Which Falls To The Ground
As Rain Or Hail.
This water is collected from a special area called a catchment. The

catchment feeds water into a holding area via rivers, streams and
creeks. The water is then stored in a natural or artificial (manmade)
barrier called a dam or reservoir. Dams are usually placed at the
lower end of a valley.
Catchment areas are usually far away from towns or cities to lessen
the chance of the water being polluted. There are laws which control
human activities, such as farming and recreation in catchment areas
and on dams to make sure that water supplies are kept potable.
RIVERS OR LAKES-Town Or Community Water Supplies Are
Sometimes Drawn Directly From Nearby Rivers Or Lakes.
SPRINGS- THESE ARE FOUND WHERE UNDERGROUND WATER
FLOWS OUT OF THE GROUND NATURALLY WITHOUT THE USE
OF BORES, WELLS OR PUMPS.
SPRINGS OFTEN OCCUR TOWARDS THE BOTTOM OF A HILL OR
ON SLOPING GROUND.
ROCK CATCHMENT AREAS AND ROCK HOLES
S O M E T I M E S L A R G E R O C K Y O U T C R O P S C O N TA I N L O W A R E A S I N W H I C H
WAT E R I S T R A P P E D . T H E S E L O W A R E A S M A K E G O O D N AT U R A L D A M S .
O F T E N A WA L L C A N B E B U I LT TO I N C R E A S E T H E A M O U N T O F T R A P P E D
WAT E R .
EXCAVATED DAMS
Excavated dams are made by scooping out soil to make a large shallow hole. These dams are
sometimes placed at the bottom of a slope to aid water collection. However, this can only be
done in areas where the soil will not allow the water to drain away very easily through the
ground. For example, in clay soils.
WATER TABLE
There is often a layer of water lying beneath the ground surface, trapped by an impervious layer
of rock which will not allow it to drain away. The water may be close to ground level or it may be
deep in the ground. This layer of water is called the water table.
RAINWATER TANKS
The rainwater which falls on the roofs of houses is often collected using roof guttering leading
through a pipe to a storage tank.
BORES AND WELLS
• These are holes drilled into the ground deep enough to find a permanent (long-lasting) body
of water. A pipe runs down the hole into the water and a pump is used to get the water up to
ground level. The water is then pumped to the community.
ARTESIAN BORES
Sometimes when a bore is sunk into a low lying area the water gushes out of the
hole under its own pressure. This water is under pressure because it is part of an
underground body of water much of which is at a higher level than the bore
opening. This kind of bore is called an artesian bore.
Why Everyone Needs Clean
Drinking Water?
5 Reasons Why Everyone
Needs Clean Drinking
Water
According to Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the
Director-General of WHO, “Safe water, sanitation
and hygiene at home should not be a privilege of
only those who are rich or live in urban centers.
These are some of the most basic requirements for
human health, and all countries have a responsibility
to ensure that everyone can access them.”
5 REASONS WHY EVERYONE NEEDS CLEAN
DRINKING WATER
1.Provides Nourishment
• Water is life. The sooner those in power understand this, the sooner
this law of water being available to everyone can be implemented.
Water is the number one source of nutrition. The human body is made
of 60% water, and this is a clear enough indication of the importance
of water. Humans need to be
adequately hydrated for their physiological systems to function.
Additionally, water helps maintain organ health and allows the blood
to maintain the consistency it requires to flow freely and transport
oxygen and nutrients to every cell of the body.
5 REASONS WHY EVERYONE NEEDS
CLEAN DRINKING WATER
2. The Prevention of Diseases
Did you know that if people are unable to drink safe and clean water,
it gives rise to various kinds of diseases? Fatal medical conditions
like cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis A all occur because of the
consumption and or the presence of contaminated water. Imagine the
risks that people are exposed to when the only thing they can drink is
water that comes from sewage and contaminated sites like industries.
Clean water is essential not only to remain safe from disease but also
to maintain good health.
3. Helps in Getting Rid of Toxins

Clean, fresh and safe water also helps in getting the body
rid of all kinds of toxins, whether they are created due to
bodily reactions, obtained from outside sources or ones
that occur because of the consumption of contaminated
water.
4. Needed for Agriculture and Food Production
When it comes to the production of food, clean water
is an essential ingredient. If the crops and grains are
given contaminated water, the bacteria and disease
will spread to those who consume the fresh produce.
Therefore, water that is used for agriculture must also
come from safe and clean resources.
5. Improved Sanitation Facilities
Clean water is not just needed for drinking but for
sanitation purposes as well. If clothes are washed, or the
body is washed with contaminated water, this too will
result in the rise of diseases. Same is the case for cooking,
cleaning and other similar tasks that are an integral part
of our lives. Clean water is necessary for good health.
WHO
28 June 2008
How does safe water

impact global health?
SAFE WATER SUPPLIES, HYGIENIC SANITATION AND
GOOD WATER MANAGEMENT ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO
GLOBAL HEALTH. ALMOST ONE TENTH OF THE
GLOBAL DISEASE BURDEN COULD BE PREVENTED BY:
• increasing access to safe drinking water;

• improving sanitation and hygiene; and
• improving water management to reduce risks of
water-borne infectious diseases, and accidental
drowning during recreation.
ANNUALLY, SAFER WATER COULD
PREVENT:
• 1.4 million child deaths from diarrhea;

• 500 000 deaths from malaria;
• 860 000 child deaths from malnutrition; and
• 280 000 deaths from drowning.
RECOMMENDED MEASURES
• Efforts to improve water, sanitation and hygiene interact with each
other to boost overall health. Access to sanitation, such as simple
latrines in communities, prevents drinking water contamination from
human waste and reduces infections. High-tech public health
measures are not necessarily the best: frequent hand-washing with
soap and safe storage of drinking water are high-impact practices.
• Environmental management effectively lowers the rates of malaria
and other diseases spread by insects and prevents death. These
measures include eliminating habitats - such as standing water - for
breeding, and screening doors and windows for protection from
mosquitoes.
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
• Investment to improve drinking water, sanitation, hygiene and
water resource management systems makes strong economic
sense: every dollar invested leads to up to eight dollars in
benefits. US$ 84 billion a year could be regained from the
yearly investment of US$ 11.3 billion needed to meet the water
and sanitation targets under the Millennium Development
Goals.
• In addition to the value of saved human lives, other benefits
include higher economic productivity, more education, and
health-care savings.
KEY FACTS
• In 2017, 71% of the global population (5.3 billion people)
used a safely managed drinking-water service – that is, one
located on premises, available when needed, and free from
contamination.
• 90% of the global population (6.8 billion people) used at least
a basic service. A basic service is an improved drinking-water
source within a round trip of 30 minutes to collect water.
• 785 million people lack even a basic drinking-water service,
including 144 million people who are dependent on surface
water.
KEY FACTS
• Globally, at least 2 billion people use a drinking water source contaminated
with feces.
• Contaminated water can transmit diseases such diarrhea, cholera,
dysentery, typhoid, and polio. Contaminated drinking water is estimated to
cause 485 000 diarrheal deaths each year.
• By 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed
areas.
• In least developed countries, 22% of health care facilities have no water
service, 21% no sanitation service, and 22% no waste management service.
WATER AND HEALTH
Contaminated water and poor sanitation are linked to
transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery,
hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio. Absent, inadequate, or
inappropriately managed water and sanitation services expose
individuals to preventable health risks. This is particularly the
case in health care facilities where both patients and staff are
placed at additional risk of infection and disease when water,
sanitation, and hygiene services are lacking. Globally, 15% of
patients develop an infection during a hospital stay, with the
proportion much greater in low-income countries.

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IMPORTANCE OF

Water that is safe for drinking is called potable water

This water is collected from a special area called a catchment. The

3. Helps in Getting Rid of Toxins

How does safe water

• increasing access to safe drinking water;

• 1.4 million child deaths from diarrhea;

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