Friday, October 15, 2010

Saving Children from Death Caused by Dirty, Unsafe Water

Do you know that unclean water causes more deaths compared to wars and all types of violence?

Yes, many people are dying each year due to it. This is the alarming message given by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during the World Water Day.

The Earth’s surface is mostly comprised of water, which is the most important natural resource in the planet. People will die without it, given that we need to drink it each day just to be healthy.

However, water can also be a cause of death, especially to children. Records show that a child younger than 5-years-old dies every 20 seconds as a result of water-related illnesses.

In addition, statistics released by the World Health Organization (WHO) show that around 1.5 million children who belong in the same age bracket die every year due unclean water, hygiene, and sanitation.

Children are more susceptible to water-related illnesses or deaths compared to adults because their body is not yet strong enough to tolerate or withstand the effects of such unclean and dangerous substance. It is the responsibility of parents to provide them with clean water along with their other basic needs like food and shelter.

In some areas, children are forced to drink unclean water because they do not have the means of getting safe water. Some of them do not even know the importance of it. In this case, the responsibility will be attached to the government.

Because the government has the money, means, and influence towards people, it has the option to invest in water purification systems to ensure that clean water will be provided to everyone. This task will be challenging for public officials, but they should not be afraid to take risks because lives can be saved if they were able to do to their task properly.