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Fresh water11/22/2023 The climate crisis is transforming water on Earth and the health impacts reach far and wide. And prolonged droughts in Peru damage agriculture and access to clean water in Indigenous communities. Iran’s retreating Lake Urmia grows saltier as it shrinks and affects the water, soil and clean air available to local villagers. The groundwater in Germany which supplies almost 70% of the country’s drinking water is declining. “A lot of women have miscarried in this area while going to look for water.” “While carrying water, I feel the baby in my womb moving,” Esther says. Their babies are dying before they’re born. The long and hot walk to water is disproportionately affecting pregnant women like Esther. “I usually carry 20 litres of water at a time because the water point is far off.” “We trust that it will not be harmful.”įor Esther Elaar, who fetches and carries water for her family to use every day, the four-hour walk weighs on her physical health. “We drink this water because we do not have a choice,” says Ngawasa. Ngawosa Eregai, a Community Health Worker in Turkana County, says: “The biggest challenge we have is lack of water.”įour or five people have to use their hands to dig deep holes in the ground where the rivers used to be to get to water. The country contributes less than 0.1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions annually but is one of the most vulnerable to climate change.Įxtensive drought has led to extreme food insecurity and famine. Nine thousand miles from the Californian crisis, Kenyans are facing even greater climate-related water shortages and the severe health risks that come with it. In a survey of more than 200 households following the fire, 54% self-reported that at least one member in their household experienced anxiety, stress or depression in connection with securing safe water and contamination issues. For example, following the 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County – California’s most destructive wildfire in history – chemical contamination of the drinking water system resulted in health risks and restrictions on water use. The changing water is already harming people’s health. Drought can further increase these contaminants, while fire damage to the well equipment can add toxic chemicals to the water. Today, nearly 400,000 Californians rely on drinking water that may contain chemical contaminants. While most cities have made investments to diversify their water supply and expand conservation efforts, smaller rural communities that rely on wells are increasingly vulnerable. Its residents are experiencing a decline in water availability, and as the world continues to warm the situation will worsen. This US state relies on snow for around 30% of its water supply, but snow is scarce in increasingly dry conditions. These extreme weather events are leading to greater evaporation and changing rainfall patterns. In California, devastating droughts and surging temperatures are affecting the water cycle. And for millions of women and children, the physical strain of walking up to 12 kilometres a day to collect water endangers their health. Contaminated water can transmit diseases like diarrhoea, cholera and polio. Water scarcity can cause human displacement and poverty. From an increasing population that demands more food and energy, to extensive use in agriculture and industry – stress on water is rising. It’s one of many reasons why the world is running out of water. Only 3% of Earth’s water is freshwater, most of which is in frozen glaciers, ice caps or deep underground.Īs climate change accelerates the frequency of extreme weather events and higher temperatures, our freshwater supply grows smaller and the risks to people’s health greater. Safe water is a basic human right and essential for our health, whether we use it for drinking, food production or hygiene. More than half of the world’s population faces water scarcity for at least one month a year.
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