Water is essential to man, animals and plants. Without water life on earth would not exist. From the very beginning of human civilization, families have settled close to water sources, along rivers, beside lakes or near natural springs. Indeed where people live, some water is normally available for drinking, domestic use, and possibly for watering animals. This does not imply that the source is convenient and of sufficient capacity nor that the water is safe and wholesome. On the contrary, in many countries people live in areas where water is scarce. Often women and children carry it over long distances, particularly during dry periods. Scarcity of water may also lead people to use sources that are contaminated by human or animal faeces, and are thus dangerous to human health.
Smet, J., Van Wijk, C. (2002). Small Community Water Supplies Technology, people and partnership IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre
EnglishWater (irrigation, process, other)