Effects of potable water on nutrition

Introduction
There is a direct correlation between the lack of clean safe water for drinking and cooking with nutritional problems. The lack of clean drinking water leads to diseases like diarrhea. Nutritional deficiencies are directly related to lack of potable water. This is because a person does not get enough calories, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, or minerals in their body. Undernutrition has been associated with 45 percent of global deaths and nearly 7.4 percent of the world's children are at risk of undernutrition. Malnourished children have weakened immune systems that make them more susceptible to diarrhea when they are exposed to dirty water. The lack of clean water means that individuals will be living in non-sanitized environments and this increases the risk of suffering from diarrhea. People suffering from diarrhea will eat less and they are unable to absorb the nutrients they need from the food they eat, which results in malnutrition. As Esrey and Habicht (1986) posits diarrhea can occur after a person ingests contaminated water. There are also instances when water that has low doses of pathogenic bacteria necessary for infecting humans can be used for preparing food and this would incubate and multiply the bacteria in the food (Esrey & Habicht, 1986).
There are numerous studies that have been conducted indicating that the lack of clean water has adverse effects on the individual’s nutrition. The underlying trend is that the lack of clean drinking water has been associated with nutrition problems in the 6 studies that we reviewed. Low-income areas are adversely affected and the lack of proper disposal of waste has also been associated with nutritional issues. According to (Moe & Rheingans, 2006), provision of clean water is one of the ways for preventing diseases from spreading through water. However, they also note that the distribution system can be problematic and this can result in the contamination of water. Therefore, there should be a way of ensuring that clean piped water is delivered to the individuals’ homes and there is no contamination during its distribution. It has been identified that distribution system contamination is the single most cause of outbreaks in community water systems. We aim to determine the effect of potable on nutrition and in this respect, we have gathered 6 articles that have focused on the role played of potable water on nutrition. Sanitation has also been covered in some of the articles. The paper will begin with the nutritional problems faced when there is no clean water for drinking and preparing food, then progress to the interventions that have been put in place to counter this. We will also look into strategies that can be implemented in areas where there is little water for usage.
Nutritional Deficiencies
The lack of potable water results in undernutrition where the individual does not have enough calories, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, or minerals in their body (Moe & Rheingans, 2006). Poverty has been directly liked to malnutrition. Families that do not have enough income are forced to rely on the available water for their home needs and this might be contaminated water. Food is also not properly cleaned and there is a chance that they end up eating food that is contaminated. Malnutrition is manifested in individuals and children in different forms like stunting, wasting, underweight, and micronutrient deficiencies. Stunting refers to low height for the person's age while wasting means low weight for height. Cholera outbreaks are a clear manifestation of an area that is lacking potable water. According to (Peter-Varbanets, Zurbrügg, Swartz, & Pronk, 2008), cholera is mostly spread in water and it has symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting. This means that the individual would not be able to retain any nutrients they consume in their food and will also lead to malnutrition if not treated early. Lack of potable water is also linked to unclean environments and lack of sanitation. While there are attempts by some municipals this is only done in the affluent areas. The suburban areas are densely populated and this makes it hard for service provision. The population also consists of poor unemployed individuals who are forced to live in poor accommodation structures. These structures are closely placed and it is hard to even maneuver around on foot. Congestion has increased with a decline in economic growth of the low-income counties and this has aggravated the situation. Service provision has declined considerably and this has forced the community to rely on the little that is available. Waste management is non-existent in these areas and this has a direct effect on their nutrition. The lack of clean facilities and disposal of waste results in the individuals living in deplorable conditions with waste surrounding them and this is the perfect environment for diseases.
As Henry, Yongsheng, and Jun (2006) states, municipal solid waste management is aimed at protecting the health of the population. However, a lack of proper municipal solid waste management results in diseases and this has a negative impact on nutrition (Henry et al., 2006). Diseases like diarrhea and cholera are spread through dirty water and unclean environments. These diseases cause an individual to not retain any nutrients in their bodies and this can even lead to death if not properly treated. Food preparation in this area is also in question. This is because the food is prepared with minimal water and most people prefer to eat from street vendors. (Muinde & Kuria, 2005) indicates that street vendors are forced to reuse the little water they have due to a lack of access to the precious commodity. Most of them have to transport the water from their homes and this has to be enough for all their food preparation and cleaning activities for the day. Reusing of water makes it unhygienic and this has the potential to result in nutritional problems. The disease is likely to spread as the water is not clean and the food is been prepared with the same water. The disposal of garbage in open dumps results in the pollution of water and groundwater. This pollution is barely noticeable and it is only after individuals fall sick that the government seeks for temporary solutions to the problem. Groundwater pollution is the hardest to determine as has been the case in Kenya. However, it is possible to determine it based on the degree of surface water pollution. Open dumpsites are also hubs for disease proliferation and it is easy for water-borne diseases to spread (Henry et al., 2006). With unclean water, the people living around or using the water that passes through the dumpsites will be consuming contaminated water. This will affect their nutrition as they will lack the vital nutrients that the body receives from the water.
There are numerous infectious diseases that are related to water quality. Pollution of the water either through contamination during distribution or through fecal contamination of the water source. This is highly possible especially in slum areas where water systems are open and sewage passes alongside the water bodies. People tend to use water systems as areas for relieving themselves and this also impacts the quality of water (Muinde & Kuria, 2005). Diseases associated with drinking or using dirty contaminated water result in an individual losing vital nutrients in their body. A disease like diarrhea will lead to the person not being able to retain any nutrients as they are discharging all the vital nutrients through diarrhea. Any food the person consumes that has vital nutrients is lost in the process and they might get malnutrition if they do not get treated early. Water quality is linked to good health outcomes. Areas that do not have potable water are most likely to also have malnourished individuals. This is because the water the individuals drink is polluted or contaminated and they are ingesting bacteria. These bacteria cause diseases that lead to loss of vital nutrients. Water shortage means that communities do not have access to this precious commodity and they are forced to walk distances to search for it. Sometimes people are forced to drink cloudy water just to quench their thirst, which means they end up getting infections.
With potable water there is a drastic decrease in waterborne disease and the spread of bacteria is reduced. There is improved nutrition because individuals are taking clean and safe water. Diseases like cholera and diarrhea that are spread by lack of potable water are reduced and nutrition is improved too. While there have been studies carried out that have clearly shown the impact of clean water and the studies have shown there has been a reduction in diarrhea. Improving water and sanitation conditions is beneficial to the nutrition of people and they are more likely to reduce malnourishment. According to Anderson (1981), potable water has been established to be a necessity for the prevention of malnutrition, diarrhea, and child deaths. The study conducted had a baseline that indicated the high levels of dietary deficient that children and adults were suffering from. With high levels of malnutrition, it was beneficial for the researchers to establish how they could reduce these high rates. Understanding the dietary needs of the community allowed them to point out the need for potable water. Using this as a public health measure resulted in the reduction in malnutrition rates. Therefore, it is clear that with clean water three is a possibility of improving the nutrition of individuals.
There are vital nutrients in the water and this is reduced if the water is contaminated. Lower mortality rates are also associated with potable water. This indicates that the nutritional benefits of potable water are beneficial for the body and offer the body the opportunity to fight off diseases (Anderson, 1981). Lacking water also causes dehydration and this can lead to heat stroke. Regulating bodily fluids, assisting in digestion, and prevent muscle fatigue. These are some of the benefits of water on the body. Potable water will give an individual's body the vital ingredients that will enable their body to function properly. Water itself does not have any nutrients it is healthy but not nutritious. However, consuming polluted water will introduce bacteria and other disease-causing organisms into the body. This will result in the body function begin affected and the individual will fall sick. They will not be able to retain the vital nutrients that they absorb from the food they consume and they will get weak with each passing day.
Rural communities that are located further away from the urban areas are limited in terms of monitoring the water supply received. This makes it hard to ensure that the communities receive potable water all the time. In a majority of the areas, the installation of boreholes is beneficial to the community. However, access to this borehole is often limiting. This is because it might be situated far from most of the community members. The mode of transporting the water from the borehole to the household is also impacted as most of the jerrycans used might be contaminated and this will lead to water contamination during transportation. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that communities are educated on the importance of cleanliness when they are handling and transporting water. This way the water is fetched will be clean and conducive for cooking and cleaning. With potable water, the number of diseases that affect communities has reduced considerably and they are now better placed to fight off water-borne diseases. Children are also healthier than before as they now consume clean water. Communities have improved health when there is potable water readily available. Improving the nutrition of the community has been proved when there is potable water. Bodily functions are also improved and communities are much healthier as compared to the time when they did not have potable water. This clearly indicates the importance and benefits of having potable water. Improving health outcomes has benefits not only in terms of health but also in terms of general community awareness.
Conclusion
Water is a necessary resource and drinking or using contaminated water will lead to adverse effects like diseases. On nutrition, lack of potable water results in individuals not being able to retain the little nutrients they accumulate or receive from their food due to diseases like cholera and diarrhea. Therefore, it is vital to ensure that there is potable water for communities. Food preparation should only be done using clean water in order to ensure that no bacteria is left or attaches to the food as it is being prepared. Using potable water has been found to contribute toward improving the nutrition of people and also reduces the mortality rate of children. Body nutrients are retained and there is no likelihood that an individual will suffer from water-borne diseases. Pollution of water from open dumpsites should also be controlled to ensure that there is safe clean water. Pollution can penetrate the ground and reach the groundwater meaning that communities that are further away will also be impacted.
References
Anderson, M. A. (1981). Health and nutrition impact of potable water in rural Bolivia. Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, 27(1), 39-46.
Esrey, S. A., & Habicht, J.-P. (1986). Epidemiologic evidence for health benefits from improved water and sanitation in developing countries. Epidemiologic reviews, 8(1), 117-128.
Henry, R. K., Yongsheng, Z., & Jun, D. (2006). Municipal solid waste management challenges in developing countries–Kenyan case study. Waste management, 26(1), 92-100.
Moe, C. L., & Rheingans, R. D. (2006). Global challenges in water, sanitation and health. Journal of water and health, 4(S1), 41-57.
Muinde, O. K., & Kuria, E. (2005). Hygienic and sanitary practices of vendors of street foods in Nairobi, Kenya. African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, 5(1).
Peter-Varbanets, M., Zurbrügg, C., Swartz, C., & Pronk, W. (2008). Decentralized systems for potable water and the potential of membrane technology. Water research, 43(2), 245-265.