Water is a very important substance required
for our existence and development. Our health can be said to be as good as the
water we drink.
Water in the body
performs a number of functions: as a solvent for transportation of nutrients;
as a medium for excretion; a means for heat control; as a lubricant for joints;
and for shock absorption. The usual way of adding water to the body is by drinking.
Water also enters the body with foods, especially those rich in water. Water
fit for human consumption is called drinking water or potable water. Water that
is not potable may be made potable by filtration or distillation, or by a range
of other methods. Water that is not fit for drinking but is not harmful for
humans when used for swimming or bathing is called by various names other than
potable or drinking water, and is sometimes called safe water, or "safe
for bathing".
The human body
contains from 55% to 78% water, depending on body size. To function properly,
the body requires between one and seven liters of water per day to avoid dehydration;
the precise amount depends on the level of activity, temperature, humidity, and
other factors. Most of this is ingested through foods or beverages other than
drinking straight water. It is not clear how much water intake is needed by
healthy people, though most specialists agree that approximately 2 liters (6 to
7 glasses) of water daily is the minimum to maintain proper hydration.
The world health organization recommends a
daily intake of at least 2 liters of potable water. What is potable water? It is
water that is both acceptable and safe for drinking. Water may be acceptable to
you for drinking, but it is not safe. It may also be safe, but not acceptable
for drinking. This post aims at making sure you can identify safe water, and
that it will be acceptable to you. You may wonder, why will you not accept safe
water? Well I will give you an example; some people hate the taste chlorine
(the chemical water guard contains) gives to water. Therefore, even though the
water is safe, it is not acceptable to them for drinking and you won’t really
blame them because we were taught that pure water is colorless, odorless and
tasteless.
Contaminated water and poor sanitation are
linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery,
hepatitis A, typhoid and polio. Absent, inadequate, or inappropriately managed
water and sanitation services expose individuals to preventable health risks.
How do you identify clean water? It is really
difficult because even though you cannot see any solid impurity in the water,
bacteria and other disease-causing organisms may be present. Therefore making
sure you get your water from a reliable source, and taking steps to purify it,
is the surest way to getting potable water.
There are some things I have noticed that
people just ignore, and this puts you at risk of drinking contaminated water. The
mistakes which I will list below, should be avoided as much as possible, to
ensure you are getting potable water. They include:
·
NEVER
SITE A BORE-HOLE CLOSE TO A SEPTIC TANK(AKA ‘SUCK-AWAY’)
Why is this
important? When you dig a septic tank, you go dip into the earth and sewage may
pass through the surrounding earth to near-by water bodies. When a bore-hole is
then drilled close to this septic tank, the water that will be coming out is at
risk of being contaminated by the nearby sewage. So you may just be drinking ‘sand
filtered sewage’.
·
NEVER
STORE DRINKING WATER IN A DRUM
Storing clean
drinking water in a drum puts the water at risk of contamination because you
have to dip a cup into the drum to collect the water, and this cup may be
contaminated. It is therefore advisable to store your drinking water in a jerry can.
This allows you to pour the water into the cup, instead of dipping the cup into
the water.
What are the various ways you can purify
water that is for drinking?
·
You
can boil the water and allowing it to cool. This type of boiling should be what
is described as the ‘rolling boil’. This means the water should be allowed to
boil very well before bringing it down. Some people may not liking boiling
water because it gives the water some taste. Boiling water also does not
prevent the water from being contaminated again.
·
Another
method is the use of a chemical called chlorine. Chlorine is contained in
water-guard. An advantage is that this method is that chlorine remains in the
water and prevents the water from being contaminated. Chlorine however gives
water taste.
We should ensure that care is taken when
selecting water to drink, as diseases such as cholera, typhoid and other
diseases that cause diarrhea are transmitted by contaminated water.
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