45
Health Problems
from Unsafe Water
No one can live without water. To be healthy, people need enough water and
they need the water to be safe. Water is not safe when germs and worms from
human and animal wastes (urine and feces) get into it. The germs and worms
can be passed through the water or from one person to another, causing many
serious health problems and affecting a whole community.
Chemicals from agriculture, industry, and mining, and trash dumping can
also make our water unsafe and cause illnesses such as skin rashes, cancers,
and other serious health problems.
Not having enough water for drinking, cooking, and washing can lead to
sickness. Especially when there is no way to wash hands after using the toilet,
diarrhea diseases spread quickly from person to person. A shortage of water
for personal cleanliness can also lead to infections of the eyes and skin. Lack
of water can cause dehydration (losing too much water in the body) and death.
Not having enough water may be due to drought (dry weather for a long
time), the high cost of water, or because water has not been well conserved.
Contamination of water can make the effects of water scarcity worse, and
likewise, water scarcity can make contamination more serious. (For information
on protecting water sources and making water clean and safe, see Chapter 6.
For safe sanitation, see Chapter 7.)