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EURASIAN EXPERIMENT JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

(EEJPH)
ISSN: 2992-4081 ©EEJPH Publications
Volume 5 Issue 3 2024

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The Impact of Water Quality on Public Health

Irakoze Mukamana S.

School of Applied Health Sciences Kampala International University Uganda

ABSTRACT
Water quality is an important factor of public health, with inadequate water sanitation and safety
resulting in millions of preventable deaths worldwide each year. This study investigates the complex
relationship between water quality and public health, with an emphasis on the variables that jeopardize
water safety, such as pollution, industrialization, and insufficient sanitation. The review examines the
prevalence of waterborne infections, particularly in developing nations, to show how a lack of access to
clean water exacerbates health inequities, poverty, and environmental degradation. This study also covers
existing methods for monitoring water quality, the importance of regulatory frameworks, and the
worldwide problems of ensuring safe water standards in the face of climate change. The report concludes
with recommendations for improving water quality and guaranteeing equitable access to safe water as a
fundamental human right.
Keywords: Water quality, Public health, Waterborne diseases, Sanitation, Water pollution.
INTRODUCTION
Water acts as the foundation of life, serving as an intrinsic resource required for sustaining human life.
The supply of water is not only environmental but also has psycho-social implications for individuals and
communities. A safe, adequate, and easily accessible water supply is therefore considered a basic human
right. Although advances in water purification and distribution technology have helped alleviate water-
related pathogens, waterborne diseases are still major threats to life, especially in developing countries
[1, 2]. Even in today’s advanced world, millions of people, mostly children, die each year due to several
infectious diseases related to poor water and inadequate sanitation. The right to health and water is
intimately related, and social and economic disparities often restrict access to safe drinking water.
Inadequate water quality and sanitation are also indicators of poverty, leading to a vicious cycle of disease
and suffering. Globally, variations in water availability and access are reflected in disparities in public
health. The three big interlinked topics water, environment, and health form a web of understanding.
This essay critically reviews water quality as a global public health issue. Several different aspects are
explored with a main emphasis on the quality dimensions of water and their implications for public health
[3, 4]. Thematic areas are broadly categorized into four categories: description of water quality,
dimensions of water quality in terms of its surrounding ecology, water quality, and aquatic/ecological
resources, populations' water quality and public health, effects of poor water quality, and approaches to
tackle water quality problems. Thousands of years ago, when the human population was relatively small,
water quality and quantity were not major issues. But presently, most of the world suffers from
diminished availability of clean and adequate water. As the population grows and agricultural and
industrial activities expand and urbanize, pollution levels of natural resources, mainly water resources,
have increased enormously. People have become increasingly concerned about the impact of pollution on
human health and the wider environment, and the sense of expression reached audiences when
irreversible events took place. Often, such instances also suggested the limits of human knowledge and
insight into predicting and curing human health problems [5, 6].
Importance Of Water Quality for Public Health
The development and application of sanitation and water technologies are very closely linked, and the
increase of human settlements and agriculture has always been very closely tied to water quality. The
importance of water quality is often considered a mere survival variable and, to a large extent, is
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overlooked, as water quality plays a leading role in epidemiology and public health. Waterborne, as well
as water-washed, diseases causing illness and death, are significant contributors to the global public
health burden, particularly in the developing world where existing health systems are inadequate to deal
with the multiple non-specific effects of diarrheal illnesses and other related environmentally induced
health concerns [7, 8]. Drinking water standards tell us when water is not safe but give no indicator of
whether it is necessary to use the water for drudgery and suggest no limit at which a community might
find the water unacceptable for such purposes. In the last two decades, there have also been developments
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in socio-economic research showing a direct correlation between poverty and limited access to clean
water and health services. There is now a growing body of research literature that attempts to describe
the connection between poor water quality, illness, and less-than-optimal performance in school. There is
very little research on the direct or indirect effects of water on nutritional health or environmental
sustainability. The relationship between poor water quality and illness is poorly understood. The
psychological aspects of diarrhea and the fear of contracting diarrhea by drinking unsafe water are largely
ignored. Development practitioners would greatly benefit from more research on the struggles poor
people face to get enough water just to live. This would help in including water in the larger and much-
needed look at the marginalization of poor populations. It would also prove useful in calculating the cost
of 'getting enough water to live with' for policy advocacy. Finally, research on positive associations with
well-motivated people coping with scarcity would be helpful to those seeking to promote or assist small
local development projects [9, 10].
Common Waterborne Diseases
Giardiasis is the world’s most frequently occurring intestinal parasite infection, responsible for diarrhea,
abdominal cramps, and occasional decreased appetite, flatulence, bloating, and weight loss. Infections are
typically spread through contaminated water, but there have also been instances of transmission via food,
person-to-person contact, and sexual activity. Once inside the body, Giardia can cause infection beginning
in the small intestine with symptoms manifesting as early as two days post-swallow [11, 12]. Many of
these waterborne diseases have historically caused large epidemics, sometimes spreading as pandemics,
resulting in millions of infections and numerous deaths. Although sanitation and hygiene improvements
can help prevent the spread of water-contaminated diseases, in some places where access to safe water is
scarce, the most effective prevention measure is to treat the contaminated drinking water. Of even greater
concern is the projected impact climate change will have on water quality and the spread of waterborne
diseases. As global warming continues, the world has seen increased flooding, which often results in the
spread of water-contaminated diseases. Additionally, less predictable rainfall patterns have led to mucosal
runoff events that can contaminate local water with dangerous pathogens. To minimize the negative
impacts of water quality on public health, public health practitioners and researchers continue to monitor
disease trends, improve monitoring processes and technologies, conduct surveillance and outbreak
investigations, and design interventions to more effectively combat these harmful conditions [13, 14].
Methods For Assessing Water Quality
Many methodologies are used by researchers, professionals, and agencies to assess the quality of water at
different scales and when addressing different concerns. The primary methods used in water analysis fall
into two categories: physical and chemical testing. Physical tests are designed to measure various
properties of water, including its appearance, odor, and taste. Chemical tests, however, are more detailed
and identify yielding characteristics and specific contaminants in a water sample. This can be used to
assess safety for drinking, irrigation, and other domestic purposes, as the many types of organic and
inorganic compounds in water can indeed impair human health and ecosystems. The methods described
above are generally adequate to assess the state of larger bodies of water, but researchers and managers
increasingly combine the results of other, more advanced approaches for more detailed information about
water quality in an area. Some of these include using geographic information systems, remote sensing
information, and water quality modeling to get a detailed view of the water quality within the designated
area. These can be useful planning, management, and pollution tracking tools [15, 16]. Routine and
systematic data collection provides public health decision-makers with information about trends and
changes in water quality as well as the naturally occurring contaminants. Detailed instructions and
guidelines for sampling water, testing for contaminants, and interpreting the results from individual
water mouths, water sources, and/or water supplies are provided by various professional and government
organizations. Additionally, national and international databases of water quality analysis data are
maintained. The use of such well-documented and standardized procedures for sampling and analysis
guarantees that collected water quality information is accurate and usable and that results are comparable
between regions, countries, and over time. Problems in data collection can arise in remote or low-resource
areas where there is no logistic or financial capacity to perform the tests specified by such standardized
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guidelines. In these cases, managers generally stress simplified methods and kits, local use of more
advanced methods, as well as a strong surveillance and monitoring program. With significant data
collected by the appropriate authorities, analysis systems and dynamic cumulative options are very
efficient in highlighting water quality. These can also be precious decision-making tools. The location of
usable water in a region can be emphasized using an analysis of multiple criteria. This method operates on
an integration of biophysical parameters, socioeconomic data, and water sampling findings. In many cases,
remote information will be effectively used to generate several of the mentioned parameters. A
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participatory approach is useful for highlighting not only the usable water but also points out the
potential zones for usable water in the regions. This approach engages local managers in order to take
into account their very local knowledge and technical capabilities [17, 18].
Regulatory Frameworks for Ensuring Safe Water Supply
National and international regulations have been established to ensure water that meets public health
standards. The responsible agency is tasked with drinking water quality standards, which can be more
stringent than other regulatory limits established in other divisions of the same agency. To maintain a
high standard of water quality, any water provider must follow those limits and any new contaminants
that have been identified under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Within communities, the state government
has the responsibility for recognizing public water supplies, enforcing federal regulations, and regulating
private wells as appropriate. It is important to highlight the geographical and political systems in certain
regions where several agencies may be responsible for water quality laws [19, 20]. Defining strict legal
standards can foster compliance, and the law plays a key role in the governance of public health risks.
This is particularly important because many contaminants and water issues are not recognizable to the
naked eye. It may be difficult to blame the water provider for changes if independent well water samples
have been tested. Through challenging laws, our society has driven and pushed our current providers to
ensure safe water. The legal constraints reinforce the public claim. Enforcement has caused households to
increase their sampling of lead in water, which in turn reduced blood pressure in children and improved
health. Some regulatory issues are still unresolved, raising concerns about existing regulations. First,
regulation of water providers may not be applied to alternative decentralized institutions, NGOs, and
members. Second, different self-consumer management can present conflicting regulations; ozone
administration, for example, is regulated in the air, water, and discharge federal domains. More
importantly, strict regulation in the region can encourage the managers of the region to exploit it and
allow polluters to operate in areas where their dangerous waste is less regulated. Thus, water laws must
work with different management systems and the ability of the NGO community, in cooperation, to
establish alternative regulations. In essence, the range of rules regarding the requirements of drinking
water provides a certain framework for the physical quality of water quality monitoring [21, 22].
CONCLUSION
Water quality is intricately linked to public health, with inadequate sanitation and unsafe water sources
disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, particularly in developing regions. The persistence of
waterborne diseases, despite advances in technology and sanitation, underscores the need for stronger
governance, stricter regulatory frameworks, and innovative solutions to ensure equitable access to clean
water. Global efforts to mitigate water pollution, adapt to climate change, and address socio-economic
disparities must be intensified to break the vicious cycle of poor water quality, disease, and poverty.
Investing in water infrastructure, public health education, and community-level interventions will be
critical in achieving global health and water security.
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nih.gov

CITE AS: Irakoze Mukamana S. (2024). The Impact of Water

Quality on Public Health. EURASIAN EXPERIMENT JOURNAL
OF PUBLIC HEALTH, 5(3):6-9