the water crisis
You may ask what is the water crisis? The scientific definition is: a situation where the available sanitary water within an area is less than the area's demand. But that is not all. People all around the world, even those in our own society, are dealing with lack of clean water. The consumption of contaminated drinking water can cause illness and even death. Only 0.007% of Earth’s water is available to fuel and feed its 7 billion people; and by 2025 an estimated 1.8 billion people will lived in areas lacking clean drinking water. 1 in 9 people lack access to clean water; that is around 750 million people that don't have drinking water. That is 2.5 times the population of the United States. Also, 840,000 people die each year from waterborne diseases; like dysentery, cholera, and typhoid; that is larger than the city of San Francisco dying each year. |
Diseases: Unsanitary drinking not water not only is disgusting, it is also dangerous. Contaminated water can carry hundreds of diseases, parasites, and viruses. In developing countries, these often go untreated, which can lead to permanent issues, or even death. According to UNICEF, more than 3000 children die everyday globally due to consumption of contaminated drinking water. Contaminated water can spread diseases like Cholera, Typhoid, and Dysentery. These lead to symptoms that are problems on their own. Diarrhea caused by unsanitary drinking water kills an estimated 2,300 people per day. According to the CDC, “Diarrheal diseases (such as cholera) kill more children than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined.” Dysentery is a disease that can be found in food and or contaminated water, that can be deadly if not treated correctly. These diseases can be prevented if people wash their hands as often as possible and make sure the water is clean. Cholera is a deadly bacterial disease that is caused by contaminated drinking water. Cholera was first discovered in the early 1900's. Although the disease can be deadly it can be easily prevented. Cholera can be prevented by filtering water and making sure the water is clean. In many developing countries cholera is a dangerous disease that has a death rate of fifty percent. Typhoid is a disease that is caused by a bacteria called salmonella typhosa. People usually catch the disease when drinking contaminated water. Some of the symptoms consist of headaches, diarrhea, and fever. Many diseases are caused by a lack of restroom facilities. A lot of times bodily waste is mixed in with a communities water source. This spreads disease quickly causing many deaths. In fact a child dies every minute due to water related diseases and only 64% of people have access to restroom facilities. Sadly, more people have a cellphone than a toilet. |