The news each day carries pictures of those dead from cholera. If clean water was on hand, this would not be happening in the 21st century.
Many Americans with relatives in Haiti are receiving the devastating news that their loved ones have died; died of cholera, a death caused by unclean water. It is a widespread and rampant problem in Haiti, as a result of the serious earthquake that hit the region on Jan. 12, 2010. That quake was a 7.0 trembler that was followed by close to 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or higher on the Richter scale.
The great quake left at least 100,000 people homeless, devastated cities, towns and villages, killed approximately 230,000 and made a mockery of what water supplies they had on the island. In the crush of humanity trying to survive from hand-to-mouth and from day-to-day, little was done to educate those who survived that they needed to be careful about the water. They did not know it could kill them, and because of that, many of the quake survivors drank bad water and died. They are still dying for the same reason.
Cholera is a deadly intestinal infection borne across the Haitian landscape by water contaminated with feces. Getting the word out to those who need to be protected has not been easy, as there are no phones, radio reception is poor in many locations and there are no TVs. That means thousands of people don’t know they should not drink the water. Although cholera is relatively easy to treat, Haiti faces many other challenges, such as delivery of aid and obtaining enough medical assistance.
While it is shocking to realize that people actually can and do die from drinking contaminated water, this is not just something that can happen in someone else’s backyard. It could just as easily happen at home in the U.S. We all need to be aware of the issue of how contaminated water affects us and take no chances we could fall ill due to tainted water. The best solution is to use water distillers at home or have water distillation systems installed. It is one way to ensure safe water is on hand, on demand.
We need to be aware that water is literally our life blood and without clean water, we stand the chance of dying. If we cannot rely on the water we have on tap, what are the alternatives? The safest and most economical alternative is using water distillers. To even think that someone could die because they did not have clean water is an absolute travesty in the 21st century.
Larry Wardell is with H2olabs.com, a provider of water distiller systems and water distillation systems that provide truly pure distilled water. To learn more, visit H2olabs.com.
