HEALTH + WELLNESS |
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THE WORLD OF WATER cont . |
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The Dangers of Drinking Dirty Water
Of course , the benefits listed above come from drinking the clean , healthy water that we ’ re lucky enough to be able to get straight from the tap – or buy if that ’ s your preference . But , what if your only source of water was dirty ? What then ?
Drinking dirty , contaminated water – as many people in the poorest parts of the world have to do – is killing around 3.4 million people every year . It leads to a plethora of waterborne diseases . These are just some of them .
• Cholera is one of the worst diseases to come from dirty water . It causes diarrhoea , which dehydrates those suffering with it . Take into account that the most vulnerable people are already dangerously dehydrated and you can see how quickly this could kill thousands .
• Cryptosporidium is a tiny parasite also found in dirty water . Again , it causes diarrhoea which leads to dehydration . It also affects those with compromised immune systems such as AIDS patients and it is particularly damaging to young children and the elderly .
• Dysentery is a nasty disease . It ’ s a type of gastroenteritis that
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causes more diarrhoea – only this time it will be mixed with blood from internal bleeding . Other symptoms include stomach pain and fever .
• Giardiasis is another tummy bug with similar symptoms to cryptosporidium ; it is also caused by a parasite called giardia lamblia . What ’ s particularly worrying about this disease is that in around 10 per cent of people there are no symptoms and it ’ s extremely easy to pass from one person to another . That means that if someone is infected by drinking contaminated water they may not realise and through simple contact with family and friends they can spread a dangerous disease further than ever .
• Hepatitis E can also be contracted through dirty water . This disease attacks the liver causing inflammation and pain . It ’ s not pleasant , but it ’ s generally not fatal either . Unless you are pregnant . If you contract hepatitis E when pregnant and you don ’ t get treatment , it can result in the loss of the baby and the mother .
• Typhoid fever spreads quickly through the body affecting every organ that it touches .
Every one of these potentially deadly diseases is preventable ; it just takes clean , safe water .
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WORLD WATER DAY
If the idea that people are forced to drink contaminated water every day because they have no choice is something that disgusts you , then you will be interested to learn more about World Water Day and its ultimate aim to bring clean , safe water to as much of the developing world as possible .
World Water Day ( launched in 1993 by the United Nations General Assembly ) is being held on Thursday 22nd March 2018 , and its theme this year is ‘ nature for water ’. Solutions to the world ’ s water crisis using natural methods will be considered , and many new ideas will be brought to the public ’ s attention .
Although the dangers of contaminated water are most keenly felt in developing countries such as those in Africa , damaged ecosystems around the world are affecting the quality – and even the quantity – of the water that is available for general human consumption . Amazingly , even though the world is 70 per cent covered in water , only around one per cent of that is not frozen and not seawater . One per cent . We can ’ t allow that figure to get smaller . Today , around 2.1 billion people live without safe water
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to drink , which is staggering . Sadly , those numbers will continue to grow , and grow quickly , if nothing is done to stop this huge global problem from spreading .
There is a plan . Sustainable Development Goal 6 wants the world ’ s commitment that everyone – absolutely every single person – will have access to wholesome , safe , uncontaminated drinking water by the year 2030 . It ’ s a big goal to achieve , but the experts say it can be done .
WHAT CAN YOU DO ?
Donating money is always helpful and if you head over to www . worldwaterday . org you can see how to go about it . There are items of clothing and other accessories for sale on the site too .
As well as money , you can help to checking out your local rivers , streams , ponds , and any other water source near you . Take photos and make notes of what it looks like – and how polluted it is . Upload your findings to World Water Day , so that a global analysis can take place .
Finally , drink water . Appreciate it . We ’ re all very lucky to have such easy access to it .
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