Refer to this link for more information: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/63740/poor-water-quality-serious-threat.html.
Somewhere in Dharavai, which is Asia's largest slum, and is outside of Mumbai, in India, young children are dying as I write this article. Why is this the case? Well the reason why is that they are forced to drink water, which is contaminated by fecal matter of all sorts, and various pollutants. Because the slum dwellers can not obtain a permit to have water legally piped into their dwellings, or supplied to them, they must, either gather whatever water they can find - potable or not - or they must obtain the water illegally. And often times, the water obtained illegally is not potable.
What further compounds this glaring problem is the fact that only a fraction of the people in India have access to proper sanitation. What this means is that water borne diseases, which are easily preventable, account for the deaths of many children children in India on an annual basis. In India, misuse, mismanagement of water, and extremely high population growth are some of the culprits behind this problem. However, two other big factors driving this malaise are pollution and corruption.
Analysis and interpretation of statistics reveals the following: approximately 200 out of a total of 600 districts have water sources, which are so polluted that, neither humans, nor animals, are advised to drink water from these sources. The main pollutants, which make humans ill, at the very least, or even kill them, are: extremely high levels of fluoride, various types of salts, iron and arsenic.
While almost all states in India are suffering from the consequences of supplying polluted water to their masses, the three states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka have the worse problems, when it comes to providing their masses, and especially, children with enough clean water for use in drinking, and in other daily needs - bathing, face washing, and hand washing after having used the loo, etc...Study after study has indicated that residents of these three states suffer from fluorosis, which is an illness, which comes from ingesting too much fluoride, which is a toxin.
Exponentially rapid population growth, relatively high economic growth, corruption, and the sudden rush of people from the countryside into all of India's metros has meant that there is a huge growth, in recent years, in illegal settlements. Because the residents of these settlements are not hooked up to modern civil facilities - water, sanitation, electricity, etc...they either have to obtain these services illegally, or do without them. Most dwellers in these illegal settlements do not have access to proper sanitation; therefore, they must go out in the open. However, fecal matter does have deadly viruses and bacteria, which can be deadly to humans - especially to children - if ingested in the water supply, which it seeps into..
Already, according to studies done by the World Health Organization, approximately 780,000 people die in India from the following causes every year: inadequate sewerage systems (often times, sewage from various sources will seep into the ground, along with pesticides, and affect the drinking water; basic sanitary conditions (not handwashing after using the loo, and not bathing regularly); not practicing personal and other types of hygiene, and not having access to enough clean water for drinking and other uses.
It is no secret that, when raw sewage - human and animal - seeps into the water supply, it introduces all types of bacteria and viruses, which can make humans ill, or even kill them, and this is especially true for children. Some of the viruses and bacteria which seep into drinking water from raw sewage are: e-coli, and salmonella.
Because India is a rapidly developing nation, with a population, which is still growing rapidly, many basic resources, water included, are being used at rates faster than which they can be replenished, (and this concentrates pollutants and sewage, which are already present. The bacteria and viruses from pollution and sewage will make their effect on children even worse if ingested) and many people in all parts of India are forced to defecate and urinate in the same water that they drink because loos aren't readily available to them. What this means is that many adults, and especially, children - because their immune systems are not fully developed - are at great risk from dying from water borne diseases.
The water quality - disease catching relationship is so serious that it is not uncommon for people, and children, especially, to contract waterborne diseases (which are easily preventable), such as: cholera, gastroentitis, and diarrahea during the monsoon seasons.
Report after report has ranked India 120 in relation to 122 nations, when it comes to water quality, and it is no secret that excessive raw sewage of all types have polluted 70% of India's water supply beyond any meaningful use for people or, even agriculture. All this means that India's ability to develop its human, and other resources in order to become a power in the world may be compromise, because any nation that wants to do this needs enough clean water to do this.
The problem is especially acute in North India, because of industrial, and animal effluent, and human and animal sewage running off into the Yamuna, which provides drinking water for people in New Delhi...people who ingest this water ingest the coliform bacteria, and this, often, times, makes them deathly ill.
Population growth set aside, water harvesting, and water conservation projects, along with water management approaches can avert many of India's projected problems with water shortages and cleanliness, given the stark reality of water issues in India, and the manageable steps, which can be taken to avoid the crisis, it is heartwarming to hear that the Indian government is taking solid steps to provide adequate fresh water for all of its citizens, by adhering to the millenium goals, and by pledging that it will provide adequate fresh water, especially for rural and slum dwellers.
| About Author |
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My name is Prita Kulkarni, and I have an MBA degree. I am a person who is passionate about helping others out through writing, research, analysis, novel writing, and blogging.
In the past, I have spent countless hours doing analytical work, which has helped out women and children from marginalized sections of society. I am in the process of learning how to become a grant writer and consultant so that I can help out the less fortunate in this world.
I enjoy traveling, and have been to such interesting nations as Turkey and Spain.
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