M5.2 The public health importance of safe drinking water

 The public health importance of safe drinking water

Water Facts

While watching “Water Facts,” I found it terrifying that 7 billion people share the 0.007% of potable water that is available on earth. Of those seven billion people, 1.2 billion do not have access to clean water. From a public health perspective these facts are a huge problem. Additionally, the fact that the world’s population continues to grow, as our water resources continue to shrink, is a public health crisis in the making. An example of this is the drought-plagued city of Cape Town that is currently expected to run dry of water. This issue is negatively impacting millions of people and their health. More people need be aware of these issues, and the huge importance of having clean water available on a daily basis.

What is Ground Water?

I found the information in this video very helpful in learning more about how ground water is captured and its importance to public health. Although, I was aware of the fact that there was ground water, I was unaware of the cycle of how the water reached the ground and filled aquifers. Additionally, I was surprised to learn just how much humans depend on ground water and the aquifers, and the fact that in some parts of the United States tap water comes directly from the ground and from the thousands of wells across the country that draw water out of aquifers. However, what shocked me the most was the fact that most of the groundwater is used to grow the food that we eat. In fact, farms across the United States use approximately 53 billion gallons of ground water every day. Although, farmers get water from rain it is not always enough. During the times of drought, farmers depend heavily on ground water. Because, we depend so heavily on the use of ground water and aquifers we need to protect against draining them dry before they have a chance to refill. If the aquifers were to run dry, it would take hundreds of years for the largest ones to fill back up to healthy levels. An issue such as this would create a public health crisis.

Clean Water Act of 1972

I’m embarrassed to say how little I knew, prior to this course, about the importance of the Clean Water Act of 1972 (Clean Water Act), and the central role that it played in cleaning up our nation’s waters. Although, I was aware that there were regulations in place to help control water pollution in the United States, I was unfamiliar with where these regulations stemmed from. The Clean Water Act established the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of our nation and regulating quality standards for surface waters. This was done by imposing specified deadlines, and giving regulators permission to set interim goals to reduce additional water pollution, and to ensure that surface waters meet better safety standards for human recreation. This is important from a public health standpoint because, in order to have a healthy population its fundamental that people have access to safe clean water whether this is used for drinking, domestic use, food production or recreational purposes. People who are exposed to contaminated water are at risk of catching diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio. The passing and implementation of the Clean Water Act helped reduce these potential health risks by working to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of our nation’s waters.

Resources:

·       Water Facts. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=173&v=zNdbj3PbX6o

·       What is Ground Water. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=oNWAerr_xEE

·       Clean Water Act of 1972. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbgKwEkseVo

·       World Health Organization. Drinking Water. Retrieved from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs391/en/