Water has always been an essential good for the world’s population. It is crucial to prevent disease and COVID-19 is no exception. The fact is in these exceptional times water becomes vital to ensure hygiene.
In fact, there is no better way to ensure hygiene than through hand washing and good practices. This simple everyday gesture saves lives daily, because hand washing is an essential measure to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. But not everyone is fortunate enough: almost 3 billion people in the world have no way to wash their hands to defend themselves from infections such as the one caused by the coronavirus, and that is why the UN has for a long time been working to solve the world crisis derived from inadequate access to drinking water and the growing water demand to meet human needs, through SDG 6. So, if you are fortunate enough to have access to quality water and soap, be responsible and follow the recommendations of the WHO; many people are not as fortunate as you.
If you have access to quality water and soap, follow the steps and join the #SafeHands campaign. For your community and for you. (Message from the UN)
As an essential resource, all processes and operations involved in water management are also of utmost importance. Thus, in order to ensure health and hygiene, water supply and sanitation services have been declared essential services by the Government of Spain, but responsibility to ensure appropriate use does not only fall upon water operators, but also on citizens.
Massive purchases of toilet paper during the first days of the pandemic made some turn to ‘substitutes’ upon seeing the empty shelves in the supermarket. However, these ‘substitutes’ such as wet wipes or paper towels cannot replace toilet paper. Using them instead of toilet paper can block the sewer network.
The truth is each and every one of us is responsible for how we cope with the pandemic we are experiencing. Our actions are very important, not just to stop the spread of the virus, but also for our own mental health. Confinement is not easy for anyone and these are difficult days, but we cannot get carried away by any message we receive through social media or our mobile phone: sorting through the information we receive is also something essential. The transmission of the virus through tap water (and hence massive purchases of bottled water), drinking hot water or breathing water vapour, or using garlic water, are some of the false bits of information that have been disseminated through different channels, and they are not the only ones.
Together we can stop this health crisis, and we will do it if we take the right action:
- Follow the advice provided by official sources such as the WHO or your Ministry of Health.
- Wash your hands frequently.
And stay at home: #WaterPeopleAtHome
