Water is a fundamental need for humans. Each person on our planet needs a minimum of 20-50 liters of safe clean water per day for cooking, drinking and keeping themselves clean. Not only is polluted water dirty, but deadly as well. Almost 1.8M deaths occur in each year due to diseases like cholera and other diarrheal illnesses. Literally tens of millions of other people fall seriously ill and are affected by a range of water-related ailments, most of which can be easily prevented.
According to the UN, universal access to clean water is a basic human right. It is also a crucial step towards improving living standards across the globe. Take a look at how clean water can improve the world:
1. Improvement In Hygiene And Sanitation
- Clean water by itself can bring down water-related deaths by at least 21%
- Sanitation on its own can reduce water-related deaths by 37%
- Hand-washing alone can help reduce water-related deaths by almost 36%
2. Increase Healthy Food
One of the greatest pressures on the world’s freshwater resources comes from water for food production and irrigation. Approximately 70% of the global freshwater withdrawals are accounted for by agriculture. Lack of clean water for agriculture affects the quality (think lead content and other contaminants) and quantity of the harvest. So the dual impact of health and revenue can be avoided if clean water is made available for agricultural purposes.
3. Increases School Attendance
It isn’t uncommon for student’s academic attendance and performance to be affected in villages in third world countries. This is because they have to care for sick siblings or parents, fetch water or suffer water-related diseases or hunger themselves. In countries like Africa, studies indicate that reducing the distance to water sources from 30 minutes to 15 minutes resulted in a 12% increase in girls’ school attendance.
4. Reduces Conflicts
Many countries across the world share the same transboundary river basins. It goes without saying that this leads to water conflicts between nations which results in strained relations that can also impact aspects such as trade etc. If every country tries to be self-sufficient in providing clean water to their citizens, these conflicts can be significantly reduced.
5. Improvement In Impoverished Communities
When women no longer have to spend hours each day fetching water, it can help increase the amount of time they spend growing food for their families, or even by working. This improves their economic levels.
As you can see, there are a number of socioeconomic benefits to ensuring that people have easy access to clean water. Its important that individuals, as well as organizations, make efforts to achieve this goal.
We at Palmeramia are a business that focuses on making a difference to lives across the globe. We donate 10% of all our business profits to help people without access to clean water. Your purchases on our site can help thousands of people have easier access to potable water. Check out our wide range of products on our website.