Safe Water vs. Clean Water: What’s the Difference?
April 29, 2022 | Sustainability WASH
Because clean water isn’t always safe, and safe water isn’t always clean.
Imagine someone put two glasses of water in front of you. One is clear; odorless and inviting. The other is a little cloudy. You can see a few particles in it, and it has a slight aroma of sulfur. Which would you choose to drink?
You would, no doubt, pick the first one. It’s clean, and the other one is not.
However, what if you learned that the clear water actually contained non-visible impurities like bacteria, nitrates, or dangerous levels of arsenic or fluoride? Counterintuitively, the murky water in this situation is actually safer to consume. This is why the distinction between safe water and clean water is so vital because clear or clean water is not always safe to drink. The reverse is also true, that safe water does not always actually look clear and uncontaminated.
Here are four reasons why the difference is important:
- “Clean water” isn’t always safe
Clean water, as far as what is visible to the naked eye, is not a good enough standard to determine what will protect and empower a community. This is why at Lifewater we require that every one of our water points produce water that is truly safe for everyone to drink.
“Ultimately, safe water is our gold standard,” said Lissie Babb, Lifewater’s Senior Director of Program Quality. “If we want diarrhea rates to decrease, water needs to be safe.”