Page 31 - 08_Social_Studies and Population Education Book 8_2078 Revised and Updated Edition

Lesson

4 DRINKING WATER

Sanjeev Singh lives in Banke. Hand pump
is the main source of water in his home. So
there is no scarcity of water. But the water
smells bad sometimes. Sanjeev has heard
about harmful chemical called arsenic
which is present in the water obtained from
hand pump and can cause skin disease. But
he has no other option and his family is
compelled to drink that water. Hand Pump
Khagendra lives in Kathmandu. There is a water tap in his home but water flow
is not regular in this water tap. Sometimes he has to wake up as early at 1 am in
the morning to collect water. In the dry seasons, he has to buy drinking water
from tanker or jar.

Tashi lives in Namche Bazar. He uses a pond near his home as source of water.
He does not need to go far to bring drinking water but the animals go there
time and often, some people throw garbage over there and pollute the water.
When people drink such polluted water, they suffer from various water-borne
diseases like cholera, dysentery, diarrhea, typhoid, jaundice and other contagious
diseases.

Shanti Maya lives in a village of Panchthar district. There are no sources of
water near her home. Every day she has to wake up early in the morning to fetch
water from the river. It takes about three hours to fetch drinking water from the
river. These are some examples of how people of Nepal are facing the drinking
water problems.

Water is one of the most important basic needs for all the living being. About 70%
of the human body is made up of water. Human beings can live without food for
some time but not without water. Water is used for various purposes, such as for
cooking food, washing clothes, taking bath, growing crops, construction work
and for generating hydro-electricity. Water plays a vital role in the development
of a country. Clean drinking water is necessary for good health. If the citizens
are healthy, development of a country will be rapid. Thus, government should
make all the efforts to supply pure drinking water to its citizens.

SOCIAL STUDIES - GRADE 8 31