**5. Deteriorating health status**

Water availability is essential for human life. According to the report published in 2021 on World Water Development by UNESCO, water usage has increased exponentially in the previous century and it has increased by about 1% each year since the early 1990s. As a consequence of increased water consumption, water quality is experiencing serious crises. Human wellbeing and long-term socioeconomic development are eventually harmed by environmental pollution and degradation forced by urbanization, subsistent agriculture, and rapid industrialization, which

*Achieving Sustainable Development Goal Related to Water and Sanitation through Proper… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109970*

have detrimental effects on the rivers and streams that are critical for health of ecosystem [22]. In recent reports of 2022, WHO estimates that 8,29,000 individuals annually die from acute diarrhea as a consequence of inadequate hygiene practices, sanitation, and potable water. However, diarrhea is generally avoidable, and by addressing these health risks, 2,97,000 newborn fatalities under the age of 5 might be avoided annually [23].

In India, the pathogens mostly responsible for water-borne infections include the bacteria *Escherichia coli*, *Vibrio cholerae* and *Shigella*. Other than that, parasites such as hookworm, *Entamoeba histolytica* and *Giardia* as well as the viruses Hepatitis A, poliovirus, and rotavirus are also responsible for the diseases. The presence of chemicals in the water are known to cause health issues as well. Pesticides which are washed into streams as well as other sources of fresh water can also harm the nervous, endocrine, and reproductive organs.

Phosphorus, organophosphorus, and related compounds can all cause cancer. Infants who are consuming milk are usually diagnosed with blue baby syndrome if nitrate toxicity in drinking water is present. Similarly, Lead contamination affects the central nervous system. Malignant melanoma and complications related to it are both brought on by arsenic poising. Fluoride contamination can damage the nervous system and lighten teeth color. The use of petrochemical products can cause cancer even in little dosages [1]. Skin problems such as melanosis and keratosis are connected to the high arsenic levels in water supply, main cause of water poisoning in Bangalore, as per reported by Kazi *et al.* in 2009 [24]. According to a different study carried out in Bangladesh, stream pollution is a significant contributor to the prevalence of scabies there [25]. Nitrate was the leading contaminant in India in 2019, and it was discovered in 387 districts. India has been ranked 120 out of 122 nations in regards to water quality, having 70% of the country's fresh water being assessed to be highly polluted, as per Niti Aayog [26].

#### **6. Economic and environmental sustainability**

The injudicious utilization of freshwater and common wastes from residential, farming, and manufacturing sector in natural lakes and rivers has exacerbated the challenges related to purity, cleanliness and availability, of water supplies. It has been determined that contaminants such as oxygen-demanding substances, diseases causing microbes, micronutrients, minerals, and synthetic organic substances are possible contaminants of municipal effluents.

Ingredients like ammonia in freshwater sources that need oxygen may endanger the aquatic ecosystems. Pathogens are introduced into the subsurface waters via sewerage from municipal wastes, storm water runoffs and industrial effluents. Substantial levels of nutrients including carbonates, nitrate, and phosphate are present in farm effluent. High nutrient levels, particularly those of phosphate and nitrate, if improperly managed, can lead to enrichment, which encourages the proliferation of algae and ultimately result in eutrophication of waterbodies. Hence, prior to getting dumped into the water system, effluent must always be monitored and treated to prevent harm to aquatic life and natural reservoirs [27].

The easy accessibility to sewage treatment plants is already present in urban areas, however, even there in the first, the amount of sewage generated as well as the amount handled varied significantly. The nation's expanding economic and population growth are surpassing the development of water infrastructure in India's key

areas. Treatment systems for wastewater should be also be ecologically acceptable for wholesome development. But environmental sustainability and efficiency of wastewater treatment systems is significantly hampered by commercial feasibility. Elevated levels of wastewater treatment may boost the cost of the infrastructure without necessarily improving the benefits, especially the immediate monetary rewards, that would be counterproductive to the facility's capacity to generate a profit. There are trade-offs between wastewater treatment technologies' economic and ecological efficacy. High levels of sewage treatment, which seem to be expensive, could not produce comparable economic advantages by minimizing the impacts of treating wastewater just on ecosystem [1]. India today has a fast-growing population, an unproductive infrastructure, ecological degradation, and social inequality. The concept of sustainable development, which is described as "development that addresses present needs without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to fulfill their own needs," was developed to minimize the above-mentioned effects [7].
