We don't need no water..?

Well this is obviously an understatement, water is probably the most crucial element to the existence of man. In the United States many of us take this for granted, after all I don't know of anyone who has ever not been able to find water when they need it. Almost as important as the availability of water is the cleanliness of the water.

In many areas of the world including Africa there are many places where water contains many organisms that when consumed are very harmful to the body. It is estimated that 1 billion people do not have access to safe water which amounts to about 16% of the population. The most prominent cause of water contamination is believed to be the result of human sewage and the waterborne diseases causes 1.8 million deaths each year.

In Africa alone it is estimated that out of the 700 million people only 46% have access to safe drinking water. In many of these developing countries the cause of death for 90% of children under the age of five is diarrhea related from lack of sanitation in water supplies. In sub-Saharan Africa almost 2000 children's lives are lost a day due to the causes of insufficient sanitation.

Another result from the lack of water in many areas in Africa is poor agriculture and severe drought. This has left many self sustaining communities crippled as they are not able to plant or harvest crops, which are staples to their diet. Africa has experienced multiple droughts throughout the past and has resulted in the deaths of millions of people. Droughts also affect the ability of community to raise livestock, if the animals do not have plants and such to graze on.