Household Water Treatment Practices to Prevent Water-Related Diseases

Did you know that Up to 60% of the human body is made of water yet water is the source of infection at the same time?

Water quality should be an important part in ensuring safety of water consumers at both household and public programme. Water provides a better media for microbial growth and multiplication.
The microbes for example the bacteria, viruses, protozoa, fungi and others get into the water chain due to poor wastewater disposal, poor storage, poor treatment, and by other means.
When this contaminated water is ingested by the living person, the microbes affect the normal health state causing diseases. Contaminated water is associated with diseases like typhoid, dysentery, cholera, and other diseases. These diseases are associated with death hence affecting household livelihoods.

However, water microbes or germs can be adequately prevented when water is handled well and treated. Below are some of the household water treatment strategies that can be used at home, hostel or even workplaces to avoid drinking contaminated water:

Boiling. This is the best way of avoiding germs from drinking water. Heat the water until it is left to boil for almost 15 minutes to allow the germs to die, let the water cool and store in a clean container. Do not forget that boiled water could again be re-contaminated by dirty/unwashed hands.

Filtering. This is when we let water pass through a sieve made of fine pores. These trap the larger microorganisms in the water including bacteria and viruses. This method also removes suspended particles like the soil and dust from the water. It could include use of a simple cloth, candle filters etc.

Simple chlorination. This involves a chemical process. A tablet of chlorine is added to the water that needs to be treated and then mixed properly and left for some time like 20 minutes before drinking it. however, for chlorination to be effective, the water should be clear.

Sedimentation. This is when water is left in a container to settle the solid particles that settle down with the germs. Later, the top clear water is transferred to another clean container. The process is repeated until we have clan water.

Water-related diseases are really one of the global diseases that can actually be prevented if the right practices are carried out. Emphasis is put on boiling as the main strategy of household treatment which needs to be practiced so as to reduce on the burden of diarrhea diseases.

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