9.7.3 How does dirty water affect health? The right to water is important for other things like food and health. In 2024 the United Nations estimated that about 2.2 billion people didn’t have clean water, and over 2.3 billion didn’t have safe toilets. In some places, most sewage goes straight into rivers. 9.7.4 Polluted rivers Water quality affects health. When it rains, rubbish and chemicals can wash into rivers. FIGURE3 shows that things like poop, food waste, pesticides and metals can pollute rivers. Some places are better at stopping pollution from getting into waterways than others.
FIGURE3 Sources of water pollution in a drainage basin
TOPIC9 Water in the world 281
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator