We often don’t realize that water is one of the biggest blessings in life. Especially, clean drinking water that is safe to drink and even clean bodies of water that we can swim in, use for agriculture, and even just the good supply of water to our homes that help us in everyday life.
The reality is that millions of people across the globe don’t have safe water. The water that they have access to is either polluted due to human factors, or it is unsafe to use because it is contaminated with things from the environment. For instance, a lot of countries that are close to the ocean or large natural bodies of water can often not use that water because it is either too high in salt or it is just not safe for human consumption. Similarly, this water is not safe to be used for agriculture or anything else either. In reality, even though our planet is filled with nearly 70% water, most of this is not safe to use. Moreover, treating this water to be safe for human consumption is an extremely expensive task. Here are some of the main problems from not having safe water.
1. Environment
Water is the basis for life, for every kind of life, and everything around us needs water. Dirty water often harbors life that is dangerous for the environment. This can include things like microbial organisms, fungi, algae, or even certain viruses. This is very similar to what happens when a perfectly good crop of wheat is overrun by a swarm of locusts. The insects eat away at all the resources and the plants are left barren and damaged. Similarly, bad water can be really harmful to everything that exists in that environment. Especially for things like coral reefs and coral life. Coral life is fixed to that place, like a tree, and when an infestation happens it cannot run away like a fish or other mobile creatures. Instead, the coral life is often wiped away, and rarely does it ever regenerate.
2. Human Health
Humans consume a lot of water, and we consume water that is clean. This is not just for drinking but for everything from washing cars, to watering the garden to growing agriculture to powering water parks. Most other living things only use water for their own consumption, or just use it to bathe and wash. Humans have a very particular water requirement, and we even need water softener installation in areas where the water has high levels of mineral content. Too many minerals in the water can be harmful to our skin and hair, and can even taste quite bad if you want to drink it. Water softeners help remove these harmful things and make the water more usable. Bad drinking water can have a range of challenges for human health, and in extreme cases can even lead to death. Moreover, bad water is one of the best ways for things like viruses and pandemics to spread, so ensuring that we have clean water is critical.
3. Animals
Animals need water just as humans and domestic animals depend on humans to provide them with safe water. While we use the same water, animals are prone to other water-borne problems that might not necessarily affect humans. This is something that needs to be handled with extreme care, as domestic animals spend a lot of time with humans, and we rely on them for everything from eggs to milk to meat. Not to mention that these diseases can impact the quality of life of the infected animal and can easily lead to death. Some problems, such as chicken diseases, can easily spread from animals to humans if we use their products. Certain products such as milk and cheese can also transmit these viruses very easily.
One of the cleanest sources of water that we have today is the water that we find underground. Unfortunately, these underground sources of water are also becoming polluted with all kinds of chemicals. Through farming practices that use pesticides, poor sanitation networks, and due to a lot of drilling into the ground for resources, we are damaging this invaluable resource. Moreover, as we dump more and more waste into streams, rivers, and oceans, it eventually impacts all kinds of water sources. The problem gets even worse when water flows into other regions, these viruses in the water are transmitted to new places and there is no way of stopping these problems. Moreover, as this dirty water enters the oceans, it impacts life in open water and causes more harm. When we go out to get these fish and other animals from the sea, we eat things that have been compromised. Dirty water creates a ripple effect that affects every form of life.
