A person can only go a few days without water. But what happens when — instead of clean water — someone can only drink saltwater? Or dirty water?
In the case of saltwater, “the salt content in seawater is much higher than what can be processed by the human body,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. If someone drinks too much saltwater, their kidneys won’t be able to filter the salt from the water, which could lead to dehydration. This has been one of the many concerns for the people of Gaza since at least October 2023. And it’s one of the reasons it has been so vital for Zakat Foundation of America to get meals — along with clean, bottled water — into Gaza, whenever possible.
Whereas the crisis in Gaza is man-made, much of the world struggles with different water-related problems. For example, in India, Ghana, Mali, Pakistan, Tanzania and other places, entire communities don’t have their own sources of running water.
In other words: No safe water source nearby to cook with, clean with, or drink from.
How bad is it to drink dirty water?
Drinking dirty water can cause stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea. People can also get sick from cooking with contaminated water or brushing their teeth with it. Even just wading through or swimming in dirty water can cause diseases.
As a result, people in communities without clean, running water often delegate the task of acquiring usable water. That usually means walking more than a mile — sometimes several miles — with a large jug to retrieve water for families. And it’s usually women and girls who are made to retrieve it, at the expense of their education or other goals.
For years, the United Nations has warned that lack of safe water leads to more deaths than violence on an annual basis. UNICEF estimated in 2021 that about 85,700 children under age 15 die every year from diarrhea linked to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) compared with 30,900 from conflict. About 72,000 children under age 5 die annually from similar illnesses linked to WASH access problems compared to 3,400 from war-related violence.
What can I do to provide people with clean water?
Clean water is vital. Having it at home — or at least nearby — can drastically improve a given community’s health and wellness. It can also keep girls in school, opening up pathways for their futures that would otherwise have been unattainable.
To combat the deadly effects of dirty water, Zakat Foundation of America installs hand pumps and water wells in communities that desperately need clean water. We dig deep into the ground to access naturally formed water sources, and we make it easy to push that water up through a faucet for the community’s easy access.
Zakat Foundation of America provides sources of clean water in more than 20 countries, directly benefiting more than 1.4 million people.
