GEF

Unit 4  |  The Global Water Crisis 94 In many parts of the world, women and children must travel miles to get fresh water. Sufficient access to clean water and health go hand in hand, although it took many centuries before cities put this understanding into practice. Well into the twentieth century outbreaks of cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and other serious waterborne diseases swept through the cities and towns of North America and Europe on a regular basis. It wasn’t until the widespread adoption of household water and sewer sys- tems and effective water treatment that these diseases became rare in wealthy nations. WATERBORNE DISEASES Diseases caused by contami- nated water.