Access to safe-drinking water by all is an integral part
of development. Despite efforts made by the Gambia government and its
development partners, people especially women in some parts of the country
still spend hours fetching water from wells or little available pumps.
While some communities enjoyed clean drinking water in abundance some still have limited access to safe-drinking water or virtually non-existent in some areas, to say the least.
Our survival would be threatened, if we cannot have access to clean and safe-drinking water, which can also be used for other domestic purposes.
Knowing that water is by far the most important nutrient for the human body (besides oxygen) and, in particular, during a survival situation when finding potable water may not be easy, the question becomes - just how long can the human body survive without adequate water?
Since the demand for water is high, there is a need to ensure its availability at all times in all corners of the country.
Waterborne diseases are also serious and also call for caution on our parts to ensure availability of clean and safe-drinking water to all in The Gambia.
We were made to understand that clean drinking water could serve as a foundation for the prevention and control of waterborne diseases.
Despite the provision of pipe-borne water systems and hand pumps in many communities in the country, there are many other areas still using open wells for their daily consumption.
We, therefore, hope more efforts will be made to provide such people with clean drinking water supply, to prevent them from contracting any water-borne diseases.