What M a k e s Wat er U nsa fe ?
47
What Makes Water Unsafe?
Water is unsafe when it contains germs, worms, or toxic chemicals (for more
about toxics, see Chapters 16 and 20). Germs (tiny living things, too small
to see, that cause many kinds of illness) and worms, such as whipworm,
hookworm, and roundworm, cause many serious illnesses.
Germs and worms live in human and animal waste (urine and feces) and
can cause serious and long-lasting illnesses when:
• there is not a good way to get rid of human
and animal wastes.
• water supplies are not protected and
kept clean.
• there is not enough water to wash.
Some of the illnesses they cause, such as
cholera, spread quickly and can cause many
deaths. Other illnesses from germs and worms
can cause years of sickness and lead to other health
problems such as dehydration, infections, anemia (weak
blood), and malnutrition. Because the most common sign of
illnesses from germs and worms is diarrhea, these illnesses are
sometimes called diarrhea diseases.
Timothy’s story
Njoki lived in a village with her one-year-old son Timothy. Like the other
villagers, she collected water from a tube well built many years before by a
development group. Back then, when the pump would break, the development
workers brought new parts to repair it. But after the development workers left,
no one in the village knew how to repair the pump or where to get parts. And
they had no money to buy parts anyway.
So when the pump broke, the women had to go collect water from a water
hole outside the village. The water hole was also used by animals, and was
contaminated with worms and germs. After drinking water from this hole,
Timothy became sick with severe watery diarrhea. He grew weaker and
weaker. Njoki had no money to take him to the health center many hours
away. Within a few days, Timothy died.
Dehydration from diarrhea diseases is the most common cause of death for
children in the world. The discussion of how people get diarrhea diseases
continues on the next page.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012