Water Access, Resources & Sanitation

Clean water is an essential element for human health, wellbeing and prosperity. Whether used for drinking, cleaning, food production or industrial output, access to sufficient water resources is a basic human need. Access to sufficient and safe sanitation facilities is also vital for hygiene, disease prevention, and human health.

The World Health Organization highlights the contribution of poor water and sanitation access to health, mortality and reduced poverty alleviation.1 2 Contaminated drinking water, poor sanitation facilities and open defecation contribute to the transmission of infectious diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio, and can also have severe impacts on malnutrition. The WHO estimates that in 2015, the deaths of 361,000 children under 5-years-old could have been avoided by addressing water and sanitation risk factors.3

In this entry we present data on progress on improved water access, access to sanitation facilities, and the incidence of open defecation. Freshwater — whilst a basic human need — is also a finite, and in some regions, scarce resource. This entry also presents data on levels of freshwater use, withdrawals by sector, and levels of freshwater scarcity/stress. Balancing human needs for freshwater with sustaining long-term supplies will continue to pose an important development challenge in the decades to follow.

https://ourworldindata.org/water-access-resources-sanitation

Air Pollution in the World Today

Air pollution

From smog hanging over cities to smoke inside the home, air pollution poses a major threat to health and climate. The combined effects of ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution cause about 6.5 million premature deaths every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections. Low-and middle income countries suffer from the highest air pollution exposures, indoors and outside. In most low- and middle-income cities fine particulate concentrations exceed WHO guideline levels of 10 micrograms per cubic metre (10 ug/m3).

News release: 9 out of 10 people worldwide breathe polluted air

2 May 2018, Geneva – Air pollution levels remain at dangerously high levels in many parts of the world. 

New data reveals that 9 out of 10 people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants. 

like black carbon which penetrate deep into the lungs and cardiovascular system. 

WHO estimates that around 7 million people die every year from exposure to fine particles in polluted air 

that lead to diseases such as stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases 

and respiratory infections, including pneumonia.

• 9 out of 10 people worldwide breathe polluted air but more countries are taking action

Air pollution is an invisible killer that lurks all around us, preying on the young and old. Learn how it slips unnoticed past our body's defenses causing deaths from heart attack, strokes, lung disease and cancer.

24% of all stroke deaths are attributable to air pollution. Air pollution causes 1.4 million deaths from stroke every year.

25% of all heart disease deaths are attributable to air pollution. Air pollution causes 2.4 million deaths due to heart disease every year.

43% of all lung disease and lung cancer deaths are attributable to air pollution. Air pollution causes 1.8 million deaths due to lung disease and cancer every year.

Most air pollution-related deaths are from non-communicable diseases (NCDs). In terms of global disease burden, air pollution is the cause of over one-third of deaths from stroke, lung cancer, and chronic respiratory disease, and one-quarter of deaths from ischaemic heart disease.

From smog hanging over cities to smoke inside the home, air pollution poses a major threat to health and climate. The combined effects of ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution cause about 7 million premature deaths every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.

More than 80% of people living in urban areas that monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that exceed WHO guideline limits, with low-and middle income countries suffering from the highest exposures, both indoors and outdoors. 4.2 million</span>deaths every year as a result of exposure to ambient (outdoor) air pollution. 3.8 million </span>deaths every year as a result of household exposure to smoke from dirty cookstoves and fuels.

http://www.who.int/airpollution/en/

Common Mistakes in Ramadhan

Common mistakes in 🌙 Ramadhan:

1. Drinking "sweet colored drinks" on a daily basis🍹

- Why: It contains high amounts of sugar, additives and colarants
- Solution: If you have to, drink it twice a week maximum

2. Drinking large amounts of water at iftaar time

- Why: Filling the stomach with water is more strenuous to it than with food.
- Solution: have a few sips at iftaar then a glass after every two hours.

3. Exercising directly after iftaar.

- Why: the body's blood flow is concentrated around the stomach at that time.
- Solution: Exercise after two hours of eating to ease digestion.

4. Chewing and swallowing food fast.

- Why: chewing food slowly can speed up digestion and help maintain your weight

5. Having dessert directly after iftaar

- Why: they make you drowsy and sleepy 😴
- Solution: leave at least a two hour gap between iftaar and dessert to stay fresh and awake for ishaa and taraweeh prayers

6. Consuming foods with high amounts of sodium

- Why: Sodium triggers thirst through out the fasting hours of the day
- Solution: instead, eat foods that are high in potassium, they retain water and supress your thirst.

# Bananas are high in potassium. A banana at Suhoor time can control your thirst level through out the day.

# Best sources of potassium for Suhoor time:
- bananas 🍌
- milk 🍼
- dates
- avocados 🍏
- dried peaches 🍐
- pistachios
- pumpkin 🍠
- peas
- dark chocolate 🍫

# Worst choices for Suhoor:
- biryani
- kebab
- pizza
- fast food in general
- cheese 🍕
- haleem

# Best choices for Suhoor:
- potato
- rice
- dates
- whole grain bread
- banana 🍌
- barley

Please do not keep this reminder to yourself , share with your beloved brothers and sisters . Ramadan is coming
Anis Alam, Consultant Nutritionist and CEO, Biocare Labs Pvt Ltd #CleanEating.