The availability of water is not enough to keep children healthy: Water must also be safe, attainable and affordable. This means it must come from a reliable source like a well, a tap or a hand-pump; free from faecal and chemical contamination; readily available for at least 12 hours a day; and located on the premises of a child's household or within reasonable reach.
Clean water is a human need and a human right. Yet it's becoming harder and harder to access. As climate change worsens and populations increase, more regions are experiencing water scarcity - even in developed countries. The World Health Organization predicts that by 2025, half the world's population will be living in water-stressed areas. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requires EPA to establish and enforce standards that public drinking water systems must follow, including: Maximum contaminant levels or treatment techniques. Monitoring and reporting requirements. EPA delegates primary enforcement responsibility (also called primacy) for public water systems to states and