The Mumbai Ocean Atrocity is the result of brutal oppression by foolish, selfish and ignorant people. The ocean is handing back the filth spread by man to man, covid-19, is the result of manmade environment pollution. This paper is focused on water, water pollution, water quality, health, diarrhea, skin disease, cancer, and children.
Though there may be variations in degree depending on factors such as gender, age, and geography, the overall effect of water pollution on human health is substantial. Diarrhea is the most common illness brought on by contaminated water and is primarily spread by enteroviruses in aquatic environments.
Over
80% of sewage produced by human activity is dumped untreated into rivers and
oceans, leading to over 50 diseases and environmental contamination. Inadequate
water quality is linked to 50% of child fatalities and 80% of illnesses
globally.
A vital resource for human survival is water. As per the 2021 World Water Development Report published by UNESCO, the freshwater consumption worldwide has surged six times in the last century and has been increasing at a rate of roughly 1% year since the 1980s. Water quality is suffering greatly as a result of rising water demand. The environment has been degraded and polluted as a result of industrialization, agriculture, and urbanization. This has a negative impact on the water bodies (oceans and rivers) that support life and, ultimately, on human health and the advancement of sustainable social development (Xu et al., 2022a)
In water-scarce regions of developing countries, such as China and India, untreated or poorly treated wastewater is commonly utilized for irrigation; the presence of contaminants in sewage poses threats to the environment and human health. Using China as an example, the long-term use of wastewater irrigation in some developing countries to meet the water demand of agricultural production has resulted in serious agricultural land and food pollution, pesticide residues, and heavy metal pollution threatening food safety and human health (Lu et al., 2015). This imbalance in the quantity and quality of surface water resources has also led to the use of wastewater irrigation.
Pesticides can negatively affect health by contaminating drinking water. When pesticide usage and health life expectancy longitudinal survey data were compared, it was discovered that for every 10% increase in pesticide use, the medical disability index for people over 65 increased by 1% (Lai, 2017). The case of the Musi River in India demonstrates that compared to houses with regular water, wastewater-irrigated communities had a higher prevalence of sickness. Third, natural forces have a role in water contamination. As an illustration, the Child Loess Plateau has water quality with a concentration of trace elements higher than the global average. Trace elements are produced by both natural weathering and man-made factors. High sodium and salinity risks are linked to poor river water quality (Xiao et al., 2019).
Hexavalent chromium pollution, which is brought on by both human activity and the environment, is the most common type of water pollution in the central portion of the Loess Plateau. The primary sources are mudstone and loess, and high hexavalent chromium concentrations in groundwater also play a significant role in surface water pollution (He et al., 2020). Lastly, particularly in poorer nations, sewage treatment facilities and water supply have a significant impact on the quality of drinking water. Underinvestment in basic water supply and treatment facilities has resulted in water pollution, an increase in the prevalence of infectious and parasitic diseases, and increased exposure to industrial chemicals, heavy metals, and algal toxins—all of which are occurring concurrently with China's rapid economic growth, industrialization, and urbanization (Wu et al., 1999).
An econometric model forecasts how water purification devices will affect water quality and, consequently, public health. The anticipated health advantages are lowered by up to 96% when the percentage of household water treated with water purification equipment is lowered from 100% to 90%. The decline is considerably more pronounced when there is a high danger of pretreatment water quality (Brown and Clasen, 2012).
In other words, both natural and human factors contribute to water contamination. Water quality will be directly impacted by a number of human activities, such as religious practices (Dwivedi et al., 2018) and urbanization, population expansion, industrial production, climate change, and other variables (Halder and Islam, 2015). One such factor contributing to declining water quality is improper disposal of gravel, sand, and solid debris (Ustaoğlua et al., 2020).
The health of people is seriously impacted by contaminated water. Nearly 300,000 children under the age of five, or 5.3% of all deaths in this age group, die from diarrhea each year as a result of poor hand hygiene, poor sanitation, and unsafe drinking water, according to the UNESCO 2021 World Water Development Report. According to data from Palestine, those who use desalinated and home-filtered drinking water are less likely than those who drink straight from municipal sources to contract illnesses such diarrhea (Yassin et al., 2006).
In a comparison of bottled, purified, and tap water, Payment et al. (1997) found that tap water was a major cause of gastrointestinal disorders. The prevalence of illnesses including cholera, trachoma, schistosomiasis, and helminthiasis is also increased in areas with inadequate access to water and sanitation facilities. Research from underdeveloped nations indicates a strong correlation between tainted water and cholera, and treating and storing home water can lower the risk of cholera (Gundry et al., 2004). Malnutrition and impaired nutritional absorption can result from gastrointestinal illnesses, in addition to diseases, contaminated drinking water, and unhygienic surroundings. For youngsters, these impacts are particularly noticeable.
Over two million people worldwide lose their lives to diarrheal illnesses every year; children are particularly affected and account for over 90% of these deaths. The primary causes of these illnesses are inadequate sanitation and contaminated drinking water (United Nations, 2016). Inadequate drinking water quality is linked to about 50 different types of diseases, 80% of global disease cases, and 50% of pediatric fatalities. On the other hand, diarrhea, skin conditions, starvation, cancer, and other ailments linked to water contamination are all brought on by pollution. In order to achieve sustainable development goals, it is imperative that research must be done on the effects of water pollution on human health, particularly with regard to disease heterogeneity, and to emphasize the significance of clean drinking water.
Regretfully, despite the fact that a wide range of literary works concentrate on the relationship between water pollution and a specific illness, research findings that methodically examine the effects of water pollution on human health and the diversity of diseases are still lacking. Drawing from the aforementioned context and discourse, the present study centers on the impact of water contamination on human well-being and the diversity of associated diseases.
The body of research indicates that water pollution and human health are significant areas of study in the field of health economics, with extensive investigation having been carried out. A total of 104 relevant literatures, including research papers, reviews, and conference papers, were searched as of December 30, 2021. Then, 19 papers were removed based on content relevancy, leaving 85 papers. This review aims to provide an overview of the effects of water pollution on human health and the variety of diseases that can arise from it, as well as to investigate ways to enhance water pollution control methods in order to promote human health.
The most prevalent illness brought on by water pollution is diarrhea, which is also a typical indication of gastrointestinal disorders. In low-income nations, diarrhea is a major cause of sickness and mortality among young children. In impoverished nations, diarrheal illnesses are responsible for 21% of all mortality in children under five (Waddington et al., 2009). Contaminated water is a direct cause of several pathogenic organisms linked to diarrhea (Ahmed and Ismail, 2018). When humans ingest non-purifying drinking water, parasitic worms present in the water might cause illnesses (Ansari and Akhmatov, 2020).
Drinking treated water from water treatment facilities has been found to reduce the incidence of diarrhea in people of all ages when compared to drinking untreated water (Clasen et al., 2015). For example, a study carried out in the southern region of Brazil found a clear correlation between an increased risk of death from diarrhea and several factors, including crowded dwellings, poor housing conditions, and a lack of flush toilets. According to Victora et al. (1988), houses lacking piped water had a 4.8-fold higher risk of infant mortality from diarrhea.
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