"Water is a necessary sustenance: A person cannot live without water (Bouguerra 2006, 125). The human body is 70% water (Wagner 1994, 11), and an adequate standard of living includes a minimum of 13 gallons of water a day for a variety of usages, including hydration and hygiene (Bouguerra 2006, 125 and Stein 2008, vii).

Effective management of sanitation also relies on the adequate movement of water to carry wastes away from where people live, through pipes and canals. Thus water is needed to ensure those wastes do not cause illness (UNICEF 2008).

Practicing safe water handling and usage is imperative for health. Waterborne diseases caused by lack of hand-washing and bathing, as well as from contamination of water sources result in millions of preventable deaths over time (McDonald and Jehl 2003, 69)." (Excerpted: Snyder, S. (2010) Access to Water, Sanitation, and Public Health Services among Urban Poor in Maceio, Brazil.

Forty-percent of the world lacks access to adequate sanitation and more than two billion people, most in developing countries, lack access to quality drinking water. With worldwide water scarcity on the rise, from factors such as climate change, failed infrastructure, political conflict and physical scarcity, these issues are spreading throughout the world, reaching places such as the United States southwest and the pristine mountaintops of the north. Extractive economies, such as mining and development, are decreasing the world's access to fresh water. Corporate control of resources is making it difficult for low-income populations to afford access to water, the most basic of human needs.

Water Health Educator strives to report on the most current events concerning water, health and well-being, using the parameters set for a quality human life by the United Nations goals. We believe that our best defense against illness and ill-treatment is knowledge and information-sharing. Please join us by contributing to the Facebook forums or inviting a staff member to speak to your group or class.

Water is a human right. Quality drinking water is human life.