WATER SAFETY: Making Sure Safety is Always a Priority

"Children of a culture born in a water-rich environment, we have never really learned how important water is to us. We understand it, but we do not respect it."

~ William Ashworth

Water is essential to human life.

Water assists in many important functions for survival like drinking, cooking, hygiene and other recreational purposes. Clean drinking water is scarce, and there are millions of people across the globe who spend their entire day searching for it. Yet, people who have access to safe, clean drinking water take it for granted and don’t use it wisely. In fact, improved water supply and sanitation can improve economic growth and poverty reduction. Communities need clean water to stay physically healthy and prevent diseases caused by a lack of adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).

Water sanitation is a global issue that affects the lives of millions of people worldwide. Poor sanitation of water can lead to numerous health problems, including water-borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and diarrhea. These diseases are caused by bacteria and other microorganisms present in contaminated water, which can also spread to other sources of water, such as lakes and rivers. To combat the spread of these diseases, it is important to ensure that water is properly treated and safe to drink.

The most common way to ensure water sanitation is to use a process called chlorination. Chlorination is a process in which chlorine is added to water to kill microorganisms and make it safe to drink. This process is used by many municipalities and water treatment plants in order to make sure that water is safe for public consumption. In addition to chlorine, other methods of water sanitation can also be used, such as filtration and ultraviolet light.

Another important aspect of water sanitation is proper disposal of waste. Many pollutants, such as agricultural runoff and industrial waste, can contaminate water sources if not disposed of properly. To prevent this, it is important to have proper systems in place to collect, treat, and dispose of waste in an environmentally responsible manner.

According to developmentaid, The Philippines currently registers the fastest economic development among its ASEAN peers but this rapid development, along with an increasing level of urbanization, is leading to the pollution of waters with toxins coming from plants and farms, as well as tons and tons of plastic, which can all contaminate the soil and seep into water ending up in the world’s oceans. According to research in the Science Advances journal of the AAAS released in April 2021, the Philippines is home to 28% of the world’s rivers that are polluted by plastic. During the process of degradation, plastic particles acquire new chemical and physical characteristics that may increase the risk of becoming hazardous to living things. As a result, Three million people in the Philippines put their lives at risk every day by using unsafe water sources. Moreover, another 7 million do not have access to improved sanitation and sanitation services. (Source: https://www.developmentaid.org/news-stream/post/155108/water-pollution-in-the-philippines)