An abundance of rain showers has turned out to be a curse rather than a boon for most parts of our country. There has been a significant rise in food poisoning and water-borne diseases with an increase in untimely rainfalls. Rainfall significantly influences water safety and can contribute to the increase of foodborne diseases challenging public health and safety.
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Rainfall & Water Safety
Rainfall can jeopardize the safety of water supplies, especially in excessive amounts. Runoff from heavy rains can introduce a variety of pollutants into water basins. Rain can carry various things into rivers, lakes and reservoirs, including pesticides, animal faeces and agricultural leftovers.
The contaminants and pathogens carried by this degrade the quality of drinking water. Water-borne infections can arise with contaminants including viruses, bacteria or protozoa such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium into water systems. These viruses are extremely dangerous to human health since they cause diarrhoea, gastrointestinal disorders and in extreme situations, even death.
Moreover, there is a high possibility of sewage overflowing due to heavy rainstorms. The overflow tends to pollute water bodies and raise the risk of diseases infecting people living nearby.
Food Safety & Rainfall
Rainfall has an impact on food safety in addition to water sources. An overabundance of precipitation can submerge farmlands, causing flooding and waterlogging. The soil and irrigation water may carry and deposit pollutants onto agricultural fields, contaminating crops either directly or indirectly.
Crop contamination raises the risk of foodborne illness. Fruits, vegetables and cereals contain pathogens that can flourish and cause illnesses like E. Coli, listeria and salmonella to perish. When these tainted items get into the food supply chain, there’s a greater chance of harm to many customers.
Moreover, the growth of fungi and mould on crops significantly increases due to excessive humidity and moisture. The food made with these crops possesses dangerous substances such as Mycotoxins that can harm human health when consumed.
Mitigation & Solution
To address the water and food concerns, it is important to implement strategies that can necessitate sustainable farming methods and improve treatment facilities and water quality even better.
Eliminating impurities from water sources and investing in water treatment technologies can help the provision of clean drinking water. The risk of contamination on farms can be decreased by implementing best management practices in agriculture, such as cover crops, precise irrigation and improved drainage systems.
Additionally, communities can be empowered to take preventive action through education and awareness initiatives. The danger of water and foodborne illnesses can be considerably decreased by teaching farmers safe crop handling and storage techniques as well as encouraging clean household water collection and storage.
Ashwin Bhadri, CEO of Equinox Labs says, “Even though rain is necessary for life, it is important to consider how it affects foodborne illnesses and water safety. It is critical to address these issues with climate change producing more extreme and unpredictable weather patterns. Businesses, communities and governments can reduce the dangers by working together to keep everyone in a safe and better environment.”
