Clean water is an essential resource. We use water to drink, to bathe, to wash the dishes, flush the toilet, to cook food, among many other things. But, this natural resource is not only used for domestic purposes, but for industrial, commercial, and agricultural too.
Therefore, it goes without saying that those who provide effective solutions for wastewater treatment in Singapore plays a major role in returning clean, safe water back to the cycle. Can you even imagine what life would be like without effective wastewater treatment or even water, no less? Here’s what could possibly happen.
What’s a Day Like Without Clean Water?
If you are thirsty, you can just walk to the faucet, turn it on, and fill your glass with clean water. Even if you can’t do that, you can always buy clean water in plastic bottles and know that it’s safe for drinking. We take clean water for granted that we probably haven’t thought much of what it’s like without it.
Unfortunately, that is not a worst-case scenario for everyone, because, in many impoverished countries, that is their reality. Not only do they have limited access to water, but if they did, there’s a good chance that the water they have wouldn’t be clean and safe for drinking.
Some may even have to walk miles every day just to have somewhat clean water for their family. It’s even harder to imagine that they will have to stretch that little water so that they have for drinking, cleaning, cooking, and bathing.
Did you know that, on average, a Singaporean uses 39 gallons of water every day? That’s a lot of water! But, in many African countries, families use just under 5 gallons of water every day, and we use 8 times more than that. It’s sad that while we have never thought of life without safe drinking water, it’s a reality that is happening in third-world countries.
Due to the scarcity of water, many health issues arise, many of which we see as something minor here in Singapore: diarrhoea, cholera, even malaria.
Health Issues We Could Be Facing Without Access to Clean Water
Diarrhoea - Granted, diarrhoea is an unpleasant health issue in Singapore too, but it doesn’t cause serious sickness such as the case in impoverished countries, wherein it could be fatal. In fact, about 1.6 million kids under 5 die every year just from diarrhoea and its further complications such as malnutrition and dehydration. This could have been prevented with proper sanitation and wastewater treatment.
Cholera - Another disease often linked with diarrhea, cholera is an infection of the gastrointestinal tract resulting from the bacteria that can be present in unclean water. Similar to diarrhea, it can be deadly in these impoverished countries too.
Malaria - While it is not directly related to unsafe drinking water, malaria is also a serious disease that affects many impoverished countries. It can be contracted when a person is bitten by a mosquito that is carrying the parasite and with many standing unclean water in these areas, they are often at risk for disease-carrying mosquitoes.
• Aside from these health diseases, there are more consequences that may arise when you don’t have access to clean water.
• Approximately one in five newborns who die during their first month are lost to infection, which could have been prevented with clean water and hygiene.
• Because of malaria and diarrhea, many children don’t even reach 5 years old. Again, this could have been prevented with clean water and good sanitation.
• Even if children survive their first five years without clean water, they are still at risk of becoming permanently stunted or developing irreversible cognitive problems.
We could go on in discussing how different life would be if we are unfortunate to not have access to safe, clean water. But, these should be enough to illustrate the consequences of a life without clean water.
Aside from clean water, it’s also worth emphasising the importance of wastewater treatment in Singapore and the companies that provide the machinery to accomplish that. Glasmat, for instance, is a piping contractor in Singapore that also offers environmental engineering products and wastewater treatment solutions.
The Role of Wastewater Treatment in Public Health
Wastewater treatment systems are necessary to ensure health and safety. They are made up of several technologies designed to address residential and industrial wastewater treatment requirements.
In industrial companies, for instance, wastewater is often a byproduct and a wastewater treatment system is almost always necessary to meet safety precautions and discharge regulations. These systems are designed to remove any of the following contaminants:
• Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
• Nitrates and phosphates
• Pathogens
• Metals
• Total suspended solids (TSS)
• Total dissolved solids (TDS); and
• Synthetic chemicals
It’s hard to imagine a life without water. Therefore, we should be more than grateful to enjoy this luxury.
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