Access to water is a fundamental human need and therefore a basic human right.
During the dry season in Cameroon, the water level goes down and reliable sources of drinking water in communities disappear,
increasing the risk of drinking unsafe water, especially by school children.
In Bankim women and children walk ten miles or more every day to fetch water for domestic use.
In Bankim women and children walk ten miles or more every day to fetch water for domestic use.
Drinking Water is gotten from various sources.
Some of these sources are springs,
Rivers, pumping water with the help of mechanical pump.
Some collect and store rainwater,
Others dig wells or bore holes.
Water from some of these sources becomes dirty and not safe for drinking.
When people consume dirty water, they contract diseases like typhoid, diarrhea, and cholera.
Good drinking water should have the following qualities, no smell, no taste, no color and no germs.
Simple water treatment techniques for use at home can save lives by preventing diseases.
Boiling Dirty water at 100 C can kill disease organisms and make the water fit for consumption.
Also, adding chlorine tablets to the water and using water filters can make water safe for drinking.
We can use a solar cooker to heat water up and keep it long enough to kill pathogens. This is called solar pasteurization.
Putting water into clear plastic bottles and letting it sit in the sun for at least 6 hours can also make it safe.
Save water and water will save you.
Translation done by Pietro Betlem, student in translation at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel