Water:

We all know  that safe drinking water is essential for good health. Many of  the diseases in our country are  due to lack of supply of safe drinking water. ~nfortunatel~~  only  18% of  the population  in rural area gets reasonably safe drinking water. The vast majority of our rural and urban population depends upon  surface water, i.e. water from rivers, streams, reservoirs, lakes, tanks and ponds, which generally get their water from rain. Although rain water is the purest water in nature, it becomes impure as it passes through the atmosphere or fl,ows on the ground. It gets contaminated with dust, soot, gases and micro-organisms.  Therefore, surface water possesses all this contamination plus additional contamination  due to human activity, such as bathing, washing clothes and utensils, or washing after passing stools. The 'water obtained from wells or tube wells, springs or handpumps is generally superior  to surface water, because this water is filtered through the ground itself and is free of contamination, unless of course the handpump is not deep enough or is too close to e source of  infection. 

Earlier, you have learnt the names of the diseases which are spread through contaminated water. Disease rates are  directly related to the quality of water supply. It has been shown that with the improvement of water supply in  some of  the States  in India, disease rates have bee" drastically lowered. Drinking water must be free of disease-causing agents or harmful chemicals. Human activity pollutes water supply through negligence in disposing faecal matter, sewage, industrial waste, fertilisers, pesticides and radio-active wastes. In  urban areas only a small proportion of our population enjoys the fac 3ty of sewerage system. Over 70%  of the people living in, rural areas defecate in the open  fie%  leading to great hazards in  spreading various bacterial diseases. Proper disposal of huma;.  excreta is an essential quirement of community health. At home, drinking water can be made safe by  filtration and boiling. Filtration removes most of the suspended impyrities. Disease-causing microbes are killed by boiling.