Safe Water: Essential Conditions for a Healthy Body and Sustainable Life
Osman Gani
Water is the most important element in human life. Along with breathing, food, and shelter, water is an essential part of the basic needs of human life. But if this water is polluted, it can become a cause of death instead of saving life. Therefore, safe water has become the most important challenge for humanity today. Just as long-term plans have been taken in the developed countries of the world to ensure safe water, developing countries still face a serious crisis in water security. Bangladesh is also not exempt from this crisis. Ensuring the availability of safe water for good health and sustainable development of people is the demand of the hour today.
About 60 to 70 percent of the human body is covered with water. An average adult needs two to two and a half liters of pure water every day. This water is not only for quenching thirst, but also for the body's metabolism, blood circulation, cell activity, proper functioning of the brain, and increasing immunity. But without safe water, various diseases spread in the human body. Contaminated water is the main cause of many waterborne diseases including cholera, diarrhea, typhoid, hepatitis A, and dysentery. According to the World Health Organization, millions of people die every year from drinking contaminated water. A large proportion of child deaths are also related to unsafe water.
In the context of Bangladesh, the crisis of safe water is a complex problem. Our country has a huge reserve of groundwater. But a large part of that water is contaminated with arsenic, iron, and bacteria. In many parts of the country, people still collect water through tubewells. Due to dependence on tubewell water, on the one hand, they are facing arsenic problems, and on the other hand, the groundwater level is declining. The groundwater crisis is becoming more pronounced especially in the northern and southwestern regions. Furthermore, the availability of safe water has become more limited due to increasing salinity in coastal areas.
Getting safe water is also a big challenge in urban areas. In big cities including Dhaka and Chittagong, the water supplied through WASA or supply lines is often not pure. Due to cracks or leakages in water lines in various places, dirty water from drainage mixes and causes pollution. Again, in areas where there is no pipeline water supply, people are forced to use tube wells, tanks or drummed water. In many cases, hygienic standards are not maintained. Although tube well water is relatively pure in rural areas, the menace of arsenic has become a major public health problem.
Safe water is not only related to personal life, it is also deeply related to national development. No country can progress without a healthy population. A sick population is a burden on the economy. If water is polluted, the common man will fall ill again and again, medical expenses will increase, performance will decrease, productivity will decrease. This will also affect education and social progress. Children will not be able to attend school regularly, women will not be able to contribute properly to the family and society. As a result, safe water is not only a health issue, but it is also deeply related to economic development and poverty alleviation.
The Bangladesh government has taken various initiatives to ensure safe water. Especially to address the arsenic problem, steps have been taken to develop alternative sources such as deep tube wells, rainwater harvesting, filter plants, and construction of water storage tanks. Tubewells are being installed in schools, colleges, and rural areas for safe water. Efforts are being made to increase the supply of pure water through pipelines in urban areas. However, these initiatives are still insufficient. More coordinated initiatives need to be taken to ensure the availability of safe water in a populous country like Bangladesh.
Raising awareness is very important to ensure safe water. Many people do not know that the water they are drinking is contaminated. Many do not make it a habit to boil water or use filters. Many people use water directly from ponds, tanks, or canals, which is very harmful to health. Therefore, the public needs to be made aware of the use of safe water. The media, educational institutions, health workers, and local governments can jointly campaign on this issue. Especially people in rural areas need to be made aware of how important it is to boil water or use filters.
Environmental protection is also essential to keep water safe. Water sources are becoming polluted due to industrial waste, excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture, dumping of garbage in rivers and canals, etc. Rivers, canals, beels, ponds are natural water reservoirs. They need to be preserved. Industrial waste should be stopped from being discharged into water without treatment. Farmers should be encouraged to adopt eco-friendly agricultural methods. River encroachment and filling should be stopped and natural water flow should be kept active.
Experts fear that the global crisis over safe water will increase further in the future. Due to climate change, water availability is under threat in many countries. Drought, excessive rainfall, increased salinity, melting of glaciers - these are the reasons why water sources are changing rapidly. Bangladesh is also one of the countries at risk of climate change. Due to increased salinity and flooding in coastal areas, the crisis of safe water is becoming more serious. Therefore, if planned steps are not taken now, a terrible situation may arise for future generations.
Safe water is essential for a healthy life, a developed society and sustainable development. It is a fundamental human right. Like food, water is Water is not a luxury product, it is closely related to human life. Therefore, to ensure safe water, the state, society and individuals must work together. The government will have the responsibility to build safe water infrastructure and maintain it effectively. The responsibility of society will be to make people aware, prevent water waste and protect natural water sources. And the personal responsibility will be to use safe water, keep water free from pollution and develop healthy habits.
If we are not aware of using safe water from today, then future generations will pay the price for our negligence. Therefore, now is the time to give utmost importance to safe water. To build a healthy, functional and developed nation, we must ensure safe water for every person. Just as safe water is essential for the human body, it is also essential for the sustainability of human civilization. There is no alternative to it.
Safe water is a fundamental human right, an essential condition of life and the main foundation of well-being. No matter how much food a person consumes every day, if that food is not accompanied by clean water, the body's functions will be disrupted. And if this water is polluted, it brings death instead of saving life. Therefore, safe water is not just a thirst quencher, it is deeply related to every part of human life. In our country, water sources are gradually becoming polluted due to various reasons including arsenic, salinity, industrial waste, pesticides. Ensuring clean water is still a big challenge for people in urban and rural areas.
The state will be responsible for building a sustainable infrastructure of safe water and ensuring it equally for people. The responsibility of society will be to protect water from wastage, stop environmental pollution and encourage people to use safe water. And at the personal level, it will be the responsibility of all of us to keep water free from pollution and develop safe usage habits. It must be remembered that no nation can reach the peak of development without a healthy population. Therefore, there is no alternative to safe water to protect the human body, society and the state. If today's generation is aware of using safe water, then we will be able to leave a sustainable, healthy and beautiful future for the next generation.
The writer is a Journalist and Columnist and He can be reached at
