Contaminated Water Health Fact

Rain is the original source of all our drinking water. Raindrops are formed from the heavy vapor arising from the sea. As the clouds pass over the land, they condense into drops of rain. We are familiar with the fact that a rainstorm clears the air, washing it clean and free from dust and smoke.
Raindrops are usually free from germs, although they may contain a little dust and perhaps a few harmless microbes. Trouble starts when the raindrops strike the surface of the earth. The rain that collects on cultivated fields, farmyards, and city streets contains many different kinds of germs, some of which are harmful to man. Many of these germs have come from the digestive organs of animals and human beings and may cause serious intestinal diseases.
But the trouble is now always with water that falls onto the ground. People who use tanks and cisterns must also be careful. Roof water may be badly contaminated with germs from dust blowing up from the street. There is also the problem of germs from the droppings of birds. Tank or cistern water should always be boiled or sterilized.
The water from ponds and lakes is always contaminated. Much of this water may have washed down from the streets and highway. Or it may have been contaminated by people living in the vicinity. Even though this water may be sparkling and clear, it often contains harmful germs, such as intestinal parasites, liver flukes, hookworms, amoeba, typhoid, dysentery, and many more.
The most polluted water of all may be the rivulet rushing down a hillside just after a heavy shower of the rain. This is particularly true following a long spell of dry weather.
When rain strikes the ground, it divides and travels in two different routes toward the sea. Part of the water remains on the surface and flows into small streams, then into larger rivers, and finally reaches the sea. This surface water is always badly contaminated at first, but it does tend to purify itself by various means after some time elapses.
The other part of rainfall penetrates the surface soil. It supplies the needs of the plant world. Part of this water flows underground toward some stream or pond.
Most spring water is pure and free from germs. In passing through the different layers of earth, the germs either die or are largely filtered out. Well water is also pure, provided there is no surface contamination near the vicinity of the well itself. People living in the country need to take great care to keep their own water supplies free from contamination. Farmyards and barns are a constant menace because of the animal wastes on the surface of the ground. To guard against this, the mouth of the well should be set at a higher level and preferably some distance away from the barnyard, as shown in the picture. This will help to prevent pollution from animal droppings or human carelessness.