Water borne diseases...causes & cure
Water. The word itself denotes something fundamental to life, without which the spur of existence cannot be imagined. It was there in some form when the universe was taking shape and the earth broke out from the sun at a time where even the most alive of human imagination cannot go.
Now when the 21st century modern world is hurtling ahead, water is one among those basic things of life, which is getting affected and the situation is alarming. It is a well-known fact that clean water is absolutely essential for healthy living. Adequate supply of fresh and clean drinking water is a basic need for all human beings on the earth, yet it has been observed that millions of people worldwide are deprived of this.
Causes: Fresh water resources all over the world are threatened not only by over exploitation and poor management but also by ecological degradation. The main source of freshwater pollution can be attributed to discharge of untreated waste, dumping of industrial effluent, and run-off from agricultural fields. Industrial growth, urbanization and the increasing use of synthetic organic substances have serious and adverse impacts on freshwater bodies. It is a generally accepted fact that the developed countries suffer from problems of chemical discharge into the water sources mainly groundwater, while developing countries face problems of agricultural run-off in water sources. Polluted water like chemicals in drinking water causes problem to health and leads to water-borne diseases, which can be prevented by taking measures, can be taken even at the household level. The quality and quantity of water available for human consumption is a direct measure of the health of the population and that of the country. In over-populated countries, as in the case of India, the quality of water is abysmally poor due to heavy contamination of soil and water with fecal material, other biological wastes and chemical pollutants.
Because of its essentiality, water is the most common vehicle carrying diseases. Water-borne diseases are of a wide spectrum and are predominantly manifested in the gastrointestinal tract, as it is the part of the body that is in direct contact with the ingested contaminated water. Water-borne diseases are caused by a variety of pathogens including bacteria, viruses and parasites and are mostly manifested as acute watery diarrhea, dysentery and persistent diarrhea. Diarrhoeal diseases account for about 3 million deaths throughout the world and India accounts for approximately a third of this tragedy, which is preventable through cost-effective methods such as provision of safe drinking water, safe excreta disposal, environmental sanitation and clean personal habits such as hygienic storage of water and food, hand washing, chlorination and boiling of water.
Although oral rehydration therapy is a great success in reducing mortality, improved sanitation and water supply is the most cost-effective choice for solution of the problem. In developing countries, development of vaccines against major enteric pathogens can only be a complementary strategy. Water-borne diseases of major public health concern include typhoid caused by Salmonella typhi, cholera by Vibrio cholerae, dysentery by Shigella, Diarrhea by protozoan Giardia, acute infantile diarrhea by rotavirus and jaundice by hepatitis A and E viruses. In India, the economic burden due to morbidity and mortality from these diseases is staggering and some of these old and newly identified diseases still present a grim situation in the country often in epidemic forms.
A lot has to be done to eradicate these easily preventable diseases. Many areas of groundwater and surface water are now contaminated with heavy metals, POPs (persistent organic pollutants), and nutrients that have an adverse affect on health. Water-borne diseases and water-caused health problems are mostly due to inadequate and incompetent management of water resources. Safe water for all can only be assured when access, sustainability, and equity can be guaranteed. Access can be defined as the number of people who are guaranteed safe drinking water and sufficient quantities of it. There has to be an effort to sustain it, and there has to be a fair and equal distribution of water to all segments of the society. Urban areas generally have a higher coverage of safe water than the rural areas. Even within an area there is variation: areas that can pay for the services have access to safe water whereas areas that cannot pay for the services have to make do with water from hand pumps and other sources. In the urban areas water gets contaminated in many different ways, some of the most common reasons being leaky water pipe joints in areas where the water pipe and sewage line pass close together.
Sometimes the water gets polluted at source due to various reasons and mainly due to inflow of sewage into the source.
Contamination of Ground Water: Ground water can be contaminated through various sources and some of these are mentioned below.
Pesticides: Run-off from farms, backyards, and golf courses contain pesticides such as DDT that in turn contaminate the water. Leechate from landfill sites is another major contaminating source. Its effects on the ecosystems and health are endocrine and reproductive damage in wildlife. Groundwater is susceptible to contamination, as pesticides are mobile in the soil. It is a matter of concern as these chemicals are persistent in the soil and water.
Sewage: Untreated or inadequately treated municipal sewage is a major source of groundwater and surface water pollution in the developing countries. The organic material that is discharged with municipal waste into the watercourses uses substantial oxygen for biological degradation thereby upsetting the ecological balance of rivers and lakes. Sewage also carries microbial pathogens that are the cause of the spread of disease.
Nutrients: Domestic waste water, agricultural run-off, and industrial effluents contain phosphorus and nitrogen, fertilizer run-off, manure from livestock operations, which increase the level of nutrients in water bodies and can cause eutrophication in the lakes and rivers and continue on to the coastal areas. The nitrates come mainly from the fertilizer that is added to the fields. Excessive use of fertilizers cause nitrate contamination of groundwater, with the result that nitrate levels in drinking water is far above the safety levels recommended. Good agricultural practices can help in reducing the amount of nitrates in the soil and thereby lower its content in the water.
Synthetic organics: Many of the 100 000 synthetic compounds in use today are found in the aquatic environment and accumulate in the food chain. POPs or Persistent organic pollutants represent the most harmful element for the ecosystem and for human health, for example, industrial chemicals and agricultural pesticides. These chemicals can accumulate in fish and cause serious damage to human health. Where pesticides are used on a large-scale, groundwater gets contaminated and this leads to the chemical contamination of drinking water.
Acidification: Acidification of surface water, mainly lakes and reservoirs, is one of the major environmental impacts of transport over long distance of air pollutants such as sulphur dioxide from power plants, other heavy industry such as steel plants, and motor vehicles. This problem is more severe in the US and in parts of Europe. Chemicals in drinking water Chemicals in water can be either naturally occurring or introduced by human interference and can have serious health effects.
Fluoride: Fluoride in the water is essential for protection against dental caries and weakening of the bones, but higher levels can have an adverse effect on health. In India, high fluoride content is found naturally in the waters in Rajasthan.
Arsenic: Arsenic occurs naturally or is possibly aggravated by over powering aquifers and by phosphorus from fertilizers. High concentrations of arsenic in water can have an adverse effect on health. A few years’ back, high concentrations of this element were found in drinking water in six districts in West Bengal. A majority of people in the area was found suffering from arsenic skin lesions. It was felt that arsenic contamination in the groundwater was due to natural causes. The government is trying to provide an alternative drinking water source and a method through which the arsenic content from water can be removed.
Lead: Pipes, fittings, solder, and the service connections of some household plumbing systems contain lead that contaminates the drinking water source
Recreational use of water: Untreated sewage, industrial effluents, and agricultural waste are often discharged into the water bodies such as the lakes, coastal areas and rivers endangering their use for recreational purposes such as swimming and canoeing.
Petrochemicals: Petrochemicals contaminate the groundwater from underground petroleum storage tanks.
Chlorinated solvents: Metal and plastic effluents, fabric cleaning, electronic and aircraft manufacturing are often discharged and contaminate groundwater.
Preventive Measures
Water-borne epidemics and health hazards in the aquatic environment are mainly due to improper management of water resources. Proper management of water resources has become the need of the hour as this would ultimately lead to a cleaner and healthier environment. In order to prevent the spread of water-borne infectious diseases, people should take adequate precautions. The city water supply should be properly checked and necessary steps taken to disinfect it. Water pipes should be regularly checked for leaks and cracks. At home, the water should be boiled, filtered, or other methods and necessary steps taken to ensure that it is free from infection.