Share this Article
Ever since I was little I have been taught that water is the source of life but who knew, what gives life could also be the source of millions of deaths. Over the years millions have died and still millions die every year because of being exposed to or in coming into direct contact with unclean form of water. It’s said that the next World War will be for gaining control over the fresh water resources, water is necessary for mankind for different purposes including cooking, drinking, cleaning etc. In developing countries 80 % of all the illnesses are caused by water-borne diseases, with diarrhea being the leading cause of childhood death.
Globally 1.1 billion people are still lacking access to clean drinking water sources and some 2.4 billion to adequate sanitation (W.H.O). Today we have strong evidence that water-, sanitation and hygiene-related diseases account for some 2,213,000 deaths annually. Malaria itself kills over a million people every year majority being children under the age of 5. In Bangladesh alone, some 35 million people are exposed, on a daily basis, to elevated levels of arsenic in their drinking water, which will ultimately threaten their health and shorten their life expectancy. If we really think about it, it’s a very big problem causing countless lives to fade and bright futures to not reach their full potential across the globe. As in the rest of the developing world, my country Pakistan also faces two sides of this environmental dilemma one is water being scarce and the second being not treating the available water properly.
The sources for water pollution include the overuse of chemical fertilizers, the dumping of industrial wastes into lakes and rivers, untreated sewage being dumped into the ocean, and contaminated pipelines being used to transport water. The contamination of fresh drinking water makes it harder for people to find clean water supplies and increases the prevalence of waterborne diseases. Consequently, most of the reported health problems in Pakistan are either a direct or indirect result of polluted water.
Let me introduce you the mathematical part of it so the dimension of this problem can be understood more. An estimated 250,000 children in Pakistan under the age of 5 years die every year due to water borne diseases. Water borne diseases are causing Pakistan’s economy $1.3 billion dollars every year. Contaminated water is one of the biggest sources in the spread of diseases. Four fifths of all illnesses are caused by water borne diseases with diarrhea being the leading cause of death in children. W.H.O reports that 25%-30% of all hospital admissions are connected to water borne bacterial and parasitic conditions with 60% of infant deaths caused by water borne infections. According to a study conducted by the United Nations, 62% of Pakistan’s urban and 84% of Pakistan’s rural population does not treat their water properly and hence it results in more than 100 million cases of diarrhea being registered within the hospitals of Pakistan. This further leads to around 40% deaths within the country as a result of contaminated water consumption. Water is a precious gift of God for mankind, the human body ranges from 50-75% of water in it meaning that we need water to survive down to the micro level. We as a nation need to understand the seriousness of this issue for the sake of our current and the coming generation. It needs to be addressed at multi levels, from individual responsiveness to policy maker. Awareness among general masses, responsible use at home, save wastage of water in society are things we as the youth of our country can do without much effort. Also strict policy at state level to save water resources for the coming generation is the need of the hour. If this time is missed it would be almost impossible for us to overcome this issue.
The sources for water pollution include the overuse of chemical fertilizers, the dumping of industrial wastes into lakes and rivers, untreated sewage being dumped into the ocean, and contaminated pipelines being used to transport water. The contamination of fresh drinking water makes it harder for people to find clean water supplies and increases the prevalence of waterborne diseases. Consequently, most of the reported health problems in Pakistan are either a direct or indirect result of polluted water.
Let me introduce you the mathematical part of it so the dimension of this problem can be understood more. An estimated 250,000 children in Pakistan under the age of 5 years die every year due to water borne diseases. Water borne diseases are causing Pakistan’s economy $1.3 billion dollars every year. Contaminated water is one of the biggest sources in the spread of diseases. Four fifths of all illnesses are caused by water borne diseases with diarrhea being the leading cause of death in children. W.H.O reports that 25%-30% of all hospital admissions are connected to water borne bacterial and parasitic conditions with 60% of infant deaths caused by water borne infections. According to a study conducted by the United Nations, 62% of Pakistan’s urban and 84% of Pakistan’s rural population does not treat their water properly and hence it results in more than 100 million cases of diarrhea being registered within the hospitals of Pakistan. This further leads to around 40% deaths within the country as a result of contaminated water consumption. Water is a precious gift of God for mankind, the human body ranges from 50-75% of water in it meaning that we need water to survive down to the micro level. We as a nation need to understand the seriousness of this issue for the sake of our current and the coming generation. It needs to be addressed at multi levels, from individual responsiveness to policy maker. Awareness among general masses, responsible use at home, save wastage of water in society are things we as the youth of our country can do without much effort. Also strict policy at state level to save water resources for the coming generation is the need of the hour. If this time is missed it would be almost impossible for us to overcome this issue.
Like and follow us on: