Water quality may differ from country to country based on the availability of resources. People love to swim and bathe in water especially when the summer is around the corner. But have you ever thought of the quality of water and how it affects our health?
It is the most neglected thing by everyone. Today, In this article, let’s discuss bathing water and why its quality matters.
A country should have proper water management facilities to reduce the risk of infection and diseases transmitted through water bodies. Especially in the summer, people use open waters for swimming, paddling, and bathing.
Why is the quality of bathing water important?
Bathing water should be monitored and maintained to keep away the contamination caused by bacteria and microorganisms. The bathing waters are standardized based on the quality of the water by the directives.
Open bathing waters and lakes can be polluted with pathogens and bacteria which can be harmful to human health.
It not only affects the physical but also harms the internal organs in the body. High concentrations of contaminants have to be solved to reduce the health risks that can cause to humans and marine animals. The quality of bathing water is important because it can affect the whole ecosystem.
How is bathing water monitored?
According to the World Health Organisation, water quality standards have been set for bathing water to check the purity and safety to use. The bathing water is categorized as ‘excellent,’ ‘good,’ ‘sufficient,’ or ‘poor’ based on the level of bacteria present in it.
Many clinical studies and research show that people have experienced several health issues like stomach upset and headaches after bathing in waters with different levels of bacteria.
Usually, water is tested for two types of bacteria namely E.coli and intestinal enterococci. These bacterias are the pollutants that can cause great risk to people’s health. So, it is necessary to monitor the quality of water.
Before supplying them to the users, testing for microorganisms and biological or chemical contaminants should be monitored by the water utility.
Flocculation, filtration, chlorination, fluoridation, and polishing using carbon are the several steps that should be followed to purify the water. Each country should have a water body management system to determine the standard of bathing water.
What affects bathing water quality?
Bathing water quality may differ from place to place due to several reasons. Poor quality of water can be the reason for several outbreaks of waterborne diseases that can harm the entire ecosystem.
The quality of bathing water may be affected by several factors such as pollution, waste deposit, storm surges, marine litter, and microplastics. The release of untreated or partially treated sewage into the sea can affect the bathing water quality.
It can cause a large number of microorganisms in the water bodies. These microorganisms can cause harmful diseases, skin irritations, and gastroenteritis in humans.
Conclusion
It is the responsibility of the government to prepare objectives for the preservation, protection, and improvement of the quality of the water bodies and maintain a good aquatic environment to protect human health.
More than 80% of the sewage is discharged to the rivers and water bodies without any treatment. The impact of such water pollution can harm human health in different ways. The government should take measures to strengthen water intervention management to improve water quality and reduce the impact of health issues on humans.
Bathing waters are monitored to reduce the pollution that can harm a bather’s health. Generally, the sample of every water body is taken and tested for purity.
Anyone can become unwell when bathing or swimming in open waters that are contaminated with microorganisms and chemical components.
So, to avoid this, it is necessary to take adequate measures to forecast the levels of pollution and contamination in the water bodies in every country.
