Water quality and hygiene: The Challenges

 Water is the most essential material for human survival, after air.  Air is purified adequately by nature but this is not the case with water.  The expression “clean as freshly driven snow” or “pure rainwater” is not true any more. rain  In the past, rain was nature’s way of providing freshwater; now, however, rain is usually contaminated with various pollutants that we put in the atmosphere.

 What Is Potable Water?  A simple definition of potable water would be: any water that is suitable for human consumption.  According to CDC, Over 700 different chemicals have been found in U.S. drinking water when it comes out of the tap.  The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies 129 of these chemicals as being particularly dangerous.

 Some important facts about the availability, quality, and purity of water supplies: Even though Earth is composed largely of water, freshwater comprises only 3% of the total water available to us. Of that, only 0.06% is easily accessible. Over 80 countries in the world suffer from a water deficit. Today an estimated 1.2 billion people drink unclean water. 250 million 5–10 million  Each year there are about 250 million cases of water- related diseases, with roughly 5–10 million deaths.

 Problems of worldwide water pollution  Developed Countries  Thirty percent of Ireland’s rivers are polluted with sewage.  The Rhine is regarded as being Europe’s dirtiest river.  The King River is Australia’s most polluted river, suffering from a severe acidic condition related to mining operations.  Forty percent of U.S. rivers are too polluted for fishing and swimming.

 Developing Countries 3 times 20 times  They have 3 times as many bacteria from human waste as the global average and 20 times more lead than rivers in industrialized countries.  In 2004, water from half of the tested sections of China’s seven major rivers was found to be undrinkable because of pollution.

access to safe drinking water  At present, nearly 300 million people in China do not have access to safe drinking water. contaminated groundwater  Around 85% of the total area of Bangladesh has contaminated groundwater.  In Bangladesh, the major contaminant is arsenic, which occurs naturally in soil sediments.  This problem significantly affects in India.

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