Lesson 21 — Activity 2: Clean Water and Health
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Lesson 21 — Activity 2: Clean Water and Health
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Air is vital for life. After that need is met, your body's second need is water. You can live for only a few days without water — maybe a week or perhaps up to 10 days, depending on your situation. In this activity, you will learn more about the necessity of clean water.
As with air, if the water you drink is not clean, it can have a very serious effect on your health. You might be surprised to learn that, according to Environment Canada, more than 30,000 deaths occur around the world each day due to contaminated water and poor sanitation!
We are fortunate in Canada because we have fairly plentiful water resources and rules about the treatment of our drinking water and wastewater. In the developing world, diseases related to unclean drinking water such as typhoid fever, cholera, and dysentery account for about 80% of illnesses.
To some extent, nature can purify water. Water plants release oxygen through photosynthesis; oxygen helps decompose organic matter in the water; decomposition releases carbon dioxide and nutrients that plants and animals in the water need to live; and the purification cycle continues.
However, this natural process cannot keep up with the pollution that results from population growth and industrial development. The government of Canada has established guidelines to be followed to ensure that the water used for various purposes (drinking, swimming, watering livestock, etc.) meets certain standards for protecting the environment. Technology available in water treatment plants can ensure water taken from rivers and lakes is safe to drink from the taps in your house. Sewage treatment plants can remove harmful substances from wastewater and return treated water safely to the rivers or lakes.
What are the substances that pollute your water? Here is a list of some of the most common problems in water:
- sewage
- fertilizers
- pesticides
- petroleum products
- contaminated soil from landfill sites
- radioactive waste
- toxic chemicals
- metals
- household garbage
- pharmaceuticals (medicines)
You can do much to help protect your water, such as the following:
- Try not to buy hazardous household products. If you do, dispose of them according to the package directions.
- Do not dispose of garbage in the toilet.
- Avoid using pesticides.
- Use rowboats, sailboats, or kayaks instead of gas-powered boats. If you do use gas-powered boats, be sure they are in good working condition.
Remember that anything you dispose of carelessly or improperly can end up in your drinking water!
Self-Check
Try This!
Try the questions below on your own first and then click on the tab to check your answers!
1. According to Environment Canada, how many deaths occur around the world each day due to contaminated water and poor sanitation?
2. Name two diseases that occur in the developing world that are related to unclean drinking water.
3. Which establishments remove harmful substances from wastewater and return treated water to rivers or lakes?
4. List two ways you can help protect your water.
1. more than 30,000
2. You might have listed typhoid fever, cholera, or dysentery.
3. sewage treatment plants
4. You might have listed: not buying hazardous household products, not disposing of garbage in a toilet, avoiding using pesticides, or using alternatives such as rowboats, sailboats, or kayaks instead of power boats (or if using power boats, making sure they are in good condition)
Digging Deeper
In Canada, water quality specialists test beach water and report any problems to the general public. If it is found, for example, that the bacterial count in a lake has reached dangerous levels, beaches may be closed until the count returns to safe levels. As well, water is tested on a regular basis to ensure it is safe for drinking, cooking, and bathing.
Did you know that water is treated to make it safe to drink? Treatment plants use chemicals such as chlorine to kill harmful bacteria.
The image above shows men who work at a water treatment plant in Drayton Valley, Alberta.
Digging Deeper
Human Rights Watch (a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that promotes human rights and justice around the world) says that although Canada has abundant water, water in many Indigenous communities is not safe to drink. The water on many of Canada’s First Nations communities is contaminated, hard to access, or at risk due to faulty treatment systems.