Health tips for children

FONT SIZE

T T T

Children and Clean Water

 

Many diseases are water borne. For continuing in good health it is necessary to have a plentiful supply of safe piped water from a tube-well or a deep hand-pump. Water provides no calories or vitamin but it is very important for the working of the body. A child should drink water between meals in hot weather. Most foods have lot of water in their composition and the child gets most of his water needs in milk etc. But if the child shows need for water then do give him as much as he wants. Water should be boiled for 5 minutes and kept in a sterilized bottle for the baby's use. There is no harm letting children drink all that they feel like drinking.

Where safe water supply is not available and the water has to be drawn from a well, that well should be covered. Animals should be kept away from that source of drinking water. No latrines or soak pits should be allowed near that source. The buckets and ropes for drawing water should be clean e.g. by hanging up buckets rather than putting them on the ground. The home containers of water must be kept clean. Water should be taken out of those containers with a clean ladle or cup. No body should be allowed to put his hands into the container or to drink directly from it. Keep animals out of the house.

It is important that all water drawn from a source other than a safe piped supply should be boiled for about 5 minutes to kill all germs. It should be cooled before drinking. This is very necessary in case of children whose immune system is not yet well developed. If boiling is not possible, store drinking water in a covered container of clean plastic or glass and leave it standing in sunlight for two days before using it.