Drinking Water—Safety on Tap - Water In The Third World—adeadly Drink

Water quality varies greatly in developing nations, as poverty often results in inadequate distribution of resources, including food and water, and sanitation practices are generally poor. Nevertheless, the quality of water in some developing countries is showing improvement. WHO estimated that in 2000 water supply availability ranged from 62% in Africa to 100% in North America. The percentage of people served with some form of improved water supply (water that has been treated) rose from 79% (4.1 billion) in 1990 to 82% (4.9 billion) in 2000. At the beginning of 2000, one-sixth (1.1 billion) of the world's population was without access to improved water supply. Although an enormous number of people (816 million) gained access to improved water supplies between 1990 and 2000, the percentage increases in coverage appear modest because of population growth during that time.

According to the United Nations (UN) in its World Water Development Report (March 2003), as many as seven billion people in sixty countries could face water shortages by the year 2050. The report also suggests that pollution is a major problem, with 50% of the population in developing countries exposed to polluted water. A key goal, the UN report states, is to reduce by 50% the proportion of people who lack access to clean water by the year 2015.

Adequate quantities of safe water for drinking and for use in promoting personal hygiene are complementary measures for protecting public health. Lack of improved domestic water supply in the home leads to disease through two principal transmission routes. The fecal-oral transmission route is water contaminated with fecal material (sewage) and is of poor hygienic quality. When the sewage-contaminated water is drunk without being treated or boiled, the situation prevalent in developing countries, waterborne disease occurs. Diseases transmitted by the fecal-oral route include typhoid, cholera, diarrhea, viral hepatitis A, dysentery, and dracunculiasis (guinea worm disease).

Water-washed disease transmission, the second route, is caused by a lack of sufficient quantities of clean water for washing and personal hygiene. People cannot keep their hands, bodies, and home environments clean and hygienic when there is not enough safe water available. The quantity of water that people use depends on their access to it. When water is available through a hose or house connection, people will use large quantities for hygiene. When water has to be hauled for more than a few minutes from source to home, the use drops significantly. Without enough clean water for good personal hygiene, skin and eye infections are easily spread, as are the fecal-oral route diseases.

The impact of poor water supply on human lives in developing and undeveloped countries is staggering. Diarrheal disease is one example. According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2005, more than 1.6 million people die each year from diarrhea brought on by drinking tainted water. Diarrhea causes 15% of all deaths of children under age five in developing countries, and it leaves millions of people underweight, mentally and physically handicapped, and vulnerable to other diseases. Good drinking water, improved personal hygiene, and better sanitation practices have been shown to reduce diarrheal disease 25% to 30%.