The water sources on Earth become more and more polluted every decade due to the technological progress and the garbage that is not recycled properly. Families that live in urban areas might be the first people to face the lack of pure water and its expensiveness as they share the sewerage pipes of their apartment houses. The following paper will discuss the problems that the low-quality water might cause to the health of people from urban areas and their lifestyles.
Water Pollution
The analysis of the study by Boulay et al. (2014) showed that many pure water sources on Earth are polluted, and the most of the clear liquid delivered to people with the help of plumbing is usually filtered. The research’s hypothesis is aimed at identifying whether polluted water sources might affect the planet’s population in the nearest future or not. Recently, the scholars discovered that the Pacific Ocean contains a tremendous amount of different garbage in its waters (plastic, thin metal, chemicals, and other toxic substances) (Boulay et al., 2014). The study’s assumption says that the low quality of water might influence a significant increase in mass mortality rates all over the world. The methodology of the research by Boulay et al. (2014) implies laboratory tests of water from different countries. The conclusion of the discussed article states that humanity has to develop alternative sources of energy as some of them influence the water ecology, which remains at a critical level today.
According to Boulay et al. (2014), the price of water has been increasing for several decades as various businesses and governments in the world’s first states are familiar with a possible water deficit. Although these expenses are not critical today, they might increase significantly as the filtering equipment may not be able to process as much water as the population of a certain area’s require. Indeed, people face the problem of water pollution daily as many rivers, tourist locations, and other natural resources are overwhelmed with garbage and toxic chemicals.
Possible Problems in Urban Areas
As it is mentioned above, young families, college students, and old people live in apartments to reduce their housing expenses. Tremendous harm might be caused to them and their health by low-quality water. It would be proper to mention that water quality does not only depend on the level of pollution. Also, such a factor as old plumbing might hurt the health of the urban areas’ inhabitants as different bacteria might breed and evolve in rusty pipes (Cairns, 2013). These microorganisms may be the carriers of various infections that might be the reasons for mass hospitalization and deaths.
However, the pollution of water remains the most important problem that has to be addressed by the government before the horrible consequences described above emerge. Unfortunately, people do not test the water quality before consuming it. Nevertheless, even today, it is possible to see small bacteria and little pieces of garbage in it. It would be proper to mention that the majority of poor and the Third World countries’ populations are obliged to live in urban areas as the local people cannot afford appropriate and comfortable housing. Also, various African states already have problems with pure water as their governments do not buy appropriate filtering equipment (Cairns, 2013). If the volume of delivered pure water is reduced, the issue described above might also present difficulties to people from rural locations as they use the same sewerage pipes with other districts of big cities.
If the low-quality water is given to people despite all the harm it might cause to them, the population’s longevity and health rates will reduce immediately. The water is usually used for cooking, drinking, taking a shower, and washing clothes. Once individuals start eating dishes that include or are made with the help of polluted water delivered to them through a city plumbing, they may have untreatable diseases (such as cancer, tuberculosis, and other critical illnesses). Moreover, they are likely to suffer from skin irritations that usually emerge after taking a shower with dirty water (Deere, Leusch, Humpage, Cunliffe, & Khan, 2017). The same harm might be caused to the populations of urban areas by their clothing as it may absorb all the bacteria and infections.
Geography of the Low-Quality Water
As it is mentioned above, the inhabitants of the Third World countries and the majority of African countries already suffer because of the lack of drinkable water. The first state that values pure water the most is Afghanistan as only thirteen percent of the local population has access to the vital resource. Another location with low-quality water in Ethiopia. Approximately one thousand residents of this country die every month due to this problem. Also, such Commonwealths as Chad, Cambodia, Laos, Haiti, Ghana, India, Rwanda, and Bangladesh crave for a better quality of life and drinkable water (Machdar, Steen, Raschid-Sally, & Lens, 2013). The countries that are unlikely to face the problem of polluted water during the next century are the following: Russia, the United States of America, Iceland, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Brazil, and several others.
Demographic Factors
According to the hypothesis of the study by Machdar et al. (2013), the Earth population increases rapidly, and the citizens of poor countries are obliged to live in small apartments or rooms in urban areas. The research’s assumption says that there are almost no rural locations left in such states. The study’s methodology implies evaluating the hydrological cycle required by large cities with urban areas. Nevertheless, this problem is not addressed nowadays due to the recently increased level of the world ocean. As it is mentioned above, oceans also become polluted and their waters cannot be recycled and filtered as these methods might not make it pure and drinkable (Gillespie et al., 2014). The conclusion of the study by Machdar et al. (2013) says that urban areas of overpopulated countries might be left without water or may be obliged to pay enormous amounts of money for this source’s provision. It would be proper to state that the possibility of the ecological catastrophe was first mentioned in the 1980s as contemporary scholars and scientists evaluated the outcomes of the world pollution rapidly increased at the end of the previous century.
Conclusion
Although the problem of low-quality water and the adverse impact it may have on the inhabitants of urban areas in overpopulated countries is not broadly discussed by mass media, the world’s leading counties’ politicians also do not address this problem with their capabilities. Water pollution might make people suffer from different infections that are impossible to treat (tuberculosis or cancer). The water quality also might be lowered by old sewerage or plumbing pipes as they become rusty and hold a plethora of dangerous (for human health) microorganisms. Such countries as Chad, India, Laos, and other Third World or overpopulated states already have a lack of drinkable water, which negatively influences the local longevity rates.
References
Boulay, A., Motoshita, M., Pfister, S., Bulle, C., Muñoz, I., Franceschini, H., & Margni, M. (2014). Analysis of water use impact assessment methods (part A): Evaluation of modeling choices based on a quantitative comparison of scarcity and human health indicators. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 20(1), 139-160. Web.
Cairns, J. E. (2013). Biological monitoring in water pollution. Burlington, VT: Elsevier Science.
Deere, D., Leusch, F. D., Humpage, A., Cunliffe, D., & Khan, S. J. (2017). Hypothetical scenario exercises to improve planning and readiness for drinking water quality management during extreme weather events. Water Research, 111(1), 100-108. Web.
Gillespie, S., Lipphaus, P., Green, J., Parsons, S., Weir, P., Juskowiak, K.,… Nocker, A. (2014). Assessing microbiological water quality in drinking water distribution systems with disinfectant residual using flow cytometry. Water Research, 65(1), 224-234. Web.
Machdar, E., Steen, N. V., Raschid-Sally, L., & Lens, P. (2013). Application of quantitative microbial risk assessment to analyze the public health risk from poor drinking water quality in a low income area in Accra, Ghana. Science of the Total Environment, 449(1), 134-142. Web.