The Water Problem

Although about 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water only around 2.6% is freshwater (dissolved salt content of less than 1%). Furthermore, most of this freshwater is trapped in ice caps and glaciers (2%) leaving only about 0.6% of the total Earth’s water supply readily accessible as groundwater, lakes, rivers and streams.

These fresh water zones are often closely connected to land and are threatened by constant input of pollutants, organic matter and inorganic matter.

To illustrate the extent of the water problem, 1.2 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean and safe drinking water and as a result of this about 5 million people die of waterborne diseases every year.

In Pakistan, even before the floods of 2010, 47% of the population had no access to safe drinking water; 20-30% of the deaths within the country are caused by water-borne diseases and 20-40% 0f hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from waterborne diseases. It has been estimated that 60% of infant deaths are related to waterborne diseases and 40% deaths in urban centres are caused by unsafe water.

The scale of the problem in Pakistan in terms of safe drinking water in truly enormous. It has a huge effect on the health of the nation as well as being a huge financial burden on an already poor nation. The socio-economic impact of waterborne diseases in a poor country such as Pakistan is difficult to over state.