Diseases Caused by Water Pollution

 By 2050, it’s thought that the global population will reach around 10 billion. That increase will precipitate not only a demand for more resources, but also the production of more waste. Unfortunately, the latter is likely to impact upon the former, as water supplies could become contaminated by chemical, microbial and sewage waste.

The most pronounced effects of this are the contraction of a number of serious diseases, many of which already afflict a significant chunk of the world’s peoples. Given that around a third lack access to clean drinking water, and approximately 10% rely on crops cultivated using poor quality H2O, that’s perhaps unsurprising. But which diseases are the most prevalent among those caused by water pollution?

Bacterial diseases

Faecal contamination of drinking water, or insufficient wastewater treatment processes, are the leading cause of bacterial diseases. The most common among these include:

1. Cholera.

This disease takes hold of the digestive tracts and can lead to dehydration and renal failure in the most serious cases, where it can potentially be fatal.

 

2. Diarrhoea.

Abdominal pains, fever, nausea and headaches are the most common symptoms of diarrhoea, although it can cause premature death in especially vulnerable individuals.

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