Why Is a Supply of Clean Water Important for Human Life?

For many people, having a supply of clean water is a given. Many others, however, are all too aware of the severe need humans have for clean water and what happens when that need is not met.

Hydration

• The human body needs water to survive. People can survive weeks without food, but several days without water typically proves fatal. Losing 2.5 percent of your body weight from water loss causes your body's efficiency to decrease by 25 percent, essentially meaning that the blood thickens and loses volume, causing your heart to exert more energy circulating blood to the rest of the body. This makes even the simplest tasks, such as walking and even standing, much more difficult.

Agriculture

• Agriculture depends on clean water, and much of the human diet depends on effective agriculture. The lack of clean water sources causes the agriculture of both developed and developing countries to weaken, causing economic trouble and a decrease in the food source.

Sanitation

• Proper sanitation also depends on clean water and polluted water can be just as harmful as no water. Cholera and other diarrheal diseases often occur after the intake of polluted water. Water quality affects the spread of disease. Wounds and other ailments also depend on clean water for proper sanitation.