Drinking water is water that is utilised in the creation of drinks or food; potable water is water that is safe to consume. The quantity of drinking water required by a person to stay healthy varies, it is based on physical activity, age, health-related disorders, and environmental factors. Working in a hot region may necessitate up to 16 litres of water each day.  Greywater can also be used for irrigation or toilets. Its usage for irrigation, on the other hand, may be risky. Water can also be deemed unfit due to pollutants or suspended particles. Disease vectors can be carried by water.

Importance of Water

It regulates your body temperature

Maintaining your body temperature requires staying hydrated. At the time of any physical exercise and in heated situations, our body tends to lose water via sweat. Sweat helps in keeping the body cool, but if one doesn’t replace the water lost, then their body temperature will tend to increase.  The main reason behind this i s that when we are dehydrated, our body loses electrolytes and plasma. In case a person is sweating more than normal, then the person must make sure to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

Water protects spinal cord, tissues, and joints

Water keeps your spinal cord, joints and tissues lubricated and cushioned. This will allow you to do physical exercise while also helps in reducing the agony resulted by ailments such as arthritis. Water functions to excrete waste through, defecation, urination, and perspiration 

It helps maximise physical performance

During physical exertion, it is very crucial to drink plenty of water. During physical exertion, athletes might perspire up to 6% to 10% of their body weight. Your strength, endurance and power are all affected by hydration. If you are involved in any sort of training or high-intensity sports like those of basketball, then the person might be more susceptible to the results of dehydration. Exercise in the heat without adequate hydration might also result in dangerous medical conditions  like those of low blood pressure and hyperthermia. Seizures and in some cases even death may result due to severe dehydration.

It aids in digestion

Experts suggest that drinking water before, during, and after a meal will help your body break down the food you eat more easily. This will help you in your digestion and allow you to get the most out of your meals. Research studies suggest that the body adapts to variations in the composition of food and stomach contents, whether more solid or more liquid.

It helps with nutrient absorption

Water not only functions in the digestion of food, but it also serves in the dissolution of minerals, vitamins and other nutrients. The vitamin components are then delivered to the  body for usage.

It helps you lose weight

Drinking water has been associated with body fat loss and weight loss in both overweight girls and women, according to studies. Source you can trust. During exercising and dieting, drinking more water might help you shed some pounds.

It helps boost energy

Water can help to speed up your metabolism. An increase in metabolism is basically linked to an increase in energy levels. According to one study, drinking 500 millilitres of water increased metabolic rate by 30% in both men and women. These effects seemed to linger for more than an hour.

How to get enough fluid in diet?

• Don’t worry if the idea of drinking a lot of water every day doesn’t appeal to you; fluids encompass both freshwater and all other liquids (such as tea, coffee, milk, soup, juice and even soft drinks).

• Because it contains no energy (kilojoules), fresh water is the ideal drink for hydrating the body. Water from the tap is also mainly free and readily available almost anywhere.

• Milk, on the other hand, is roughly 90% water and is a crucial fluid, especially for children. Just keep in mind that full-fat milk is best for children under the age of two, while low-fat and reduced-fat milk is best for everyone else.

• Tea can be a good source of fluid as well. Tea contains polyphenols and antioxidants which appear to protect against cancer and  heart disease, and can help you reach your daily hydration recommendations.

Water Reclamation

Water reclamation (also called wastewater reuse, water reuse or water recycling) is the process of converting industrial wastewater or municipal wastewater (sewage) into water that can be reused for a variety of purposes. Types of reuse include: agricultural reuse (irrigation), urban reuse, environmental reuse, industrial reuse, planned potable reuse, de facto wastewater reuse (unplanned potable reuse). For example, reuse may include irrigation of agricultural fields and gardens or replenishing surface water and groundwater (i.e., groundwater recharge). Reused water might also be directed toward fulfilling some basic needs in residences (e.g. toilet flushing), businesses, and industry, and can even be treated to reach upto the standards of drinking water. Irrigation using treated municipal wastewater is a long-established practice, particularly in dry regions. Water can be kept as an alternate water source for human activities by reusing wastewater as part of sustainable water management. This will help to alleviate shortage and pressure on groundwater and other natural water bodies.

Conclusion

Whether water is utilised for home use, drinking, food production, or recreation, safe and easily available water is vital for public health. Improved water supply and sanitation, together with better management of water resources, can help various countries thrive economically and reduce their poverty level. Diseases like diarrhoea, cholera dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio have been linked to contaminated water and poor sanitation. Individuals are exposed to different types of preventable health risks because of a lack of, insufficient, or poorly managed water and sanitation facilities. This is generally true in health-care facilities, where a shortage of water, sanitation, and hygiene services puts both patients and employees health at the verge of infection and disease. Infection occurs in 15% of patients worldwide during their hospital stay, with the proportion being substantially higher in low-income nations.