Clean Water Epidemic

Clean Water Epidemic


While this is arguably one of the largest world needs it is also a need that is greatly unknown about in developed countries. This month we encourage you to freshen your knowledge on the clean water epidemic and to more importantly educate others on this issue that effects nearly 1 Billion people in the world. Every 15 seconds someone dies of a waterborne illness. Nearly 1 Billion people in the world do not have access to an improved drinking water source. Every person must drink water to live. For these billion people, ever day is a gamble as to whether the thing they need to live will actually kill them. Millions of women and children spend several hours a day collecting water from distant, often polluted sources. This is time they might spend working and going to school but they cannot as they need to focus on their physical needs first. Only 2.5% of the world's water is fresh water. Currently less than 1% is ready for human consumption. 65% of that 1% available drinking water is used up by only 10 of the 191 nations of the world. The average North American uses 400 liters of water every day. While the average person in the developing world uses 10 liters of water every day for their drinking, washing and cooking. Over 2.6 billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation facilities, making the likelihood of water contamination and waterborne illness increase greatly. Imagine the likelihood of disease in a place where they have no choice but to allow the sewage to run in the streets. Many of these places do not have a protected water source allowing their already questionable water to become even more contaminated. Diarrheal disease is the second leading contributor to the global disease burden. Diarrhea is caused mainly by the ingestion of pathogens, especially from unsafe drinking-water, contaminated food or unclean hands. Increasing the number of people with access to safe drinking-water and improved sanitation brings health and broader financial benefits, while saving millions of lives each year.
Over 3.5 million people die each year from water-related disease.

What seems like such a colossal problem to help all of a sudden becomes easily help able. The cost of one item on a fast food value menu can utterly change a person's life for a whole year.

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