Life-Sustaining Liquid: The Importance Of Clean Drinking Water
In the developed world, we often take it for granted that a cool glass of refreshing water is available to us whenever we feel thirsty. However, in some parts of the world, this is not the case.
In many villages in Africa and other developing parts of the world, access to water that is safe to drink is lacking. The people who live in these areas must either walk long distances to the nearest water source, or drink water from sources that have been contaminated. This causes people to suffer from water-borne diseases and can even cause serious illness or death. There are approximately 1.8 million people who die every year due to cholera, diarrheal diseases and other ailments that are caused by a lack of clean drinking water.
Every person on Earth requires approximately 20 to 50 litres of clean and safe water per day for keeping themselves clean, cooking and drinking. Clean drinking water is an essential human need and there are many charities working within these developing countries to provide the inhabitants with the water that they need. According to the United Nations, access to clean water is a basic human right and it is considered to be one of the very first steps toward improving human living standards all throughout the world.
Lack of Water Can Have a Big Impact
Aside from the devastating health consequences that can occur from a lack of clean drinking water, there are a lot of other effects as well. When children are always ill from drinking contaminated water they are unable to attend school to receive an education. When members of the community are weakened by illness they are unable to perform their daily tasks for the health and the prosperity of the community. Also, the need to travel long distances every day for water takes up an enormous amount of time that could be spent on education and community development. This further perpetuates the cycle of poverty.
Essentially, what it comes down to is that the lack of clean drinking water means the difference between a healthy and functioning village and one that is crippled by disease and poverty.
The Role of the Water Trailer
With the right initiative and support, a humble water trailer is all that is needed to solve the problem of clean water shortages in communities all over the world.
A water trailer is a tank, usually made from milled steel or stainless steel, which is able to transport water over distances. These trailers can be very useful in bringing water to communities who do not have access to it. They can also be used as part of a permanent and sustainable drinking water solution for these villages.
It is possible to install these trailers into small villages and create a water system that purifies the water so that it is safe to drink. There have been systems developed that allow water purification that is solar powered, which is a sustainable way to produce clean drinking water from any surface water source that is found. These systems can be installed on a water trailer and can operate independently of any water source. These systems have already been developed by charities in places such as Kenya, Ethiopia, India and Haiti.
According to the World Health Organisation, water distribution systems should make it so that drinking water is available within one kilometer of where the water will be used. This goal has not become a reality yet, but many groups and initiatives are working towards this. With clean water, communities will be able to thrive and flourish and grow in a healthy and positive way.
Stuart Edge is a writer who understands the importance of clean water to the workings of a community unit. He believes that with the right resources and support, water trailers and portable filtration systems can be used to solve the issue of a lack of clean drinking water in many communities.