To have enough safe water, most people are willing to do the work required or to pay a reasonable price. But in many places, water people need for drinking is contaminated by germs, worms, or toxic chemicals, is taken instead by industry or industrial farming, or is sold at a price people cannot afford.
It is difficult to know if water is safe or not. Some things that cause health problems are easily noticed by looking at, smelling, or tasting the water. But there may be something harmful in the water even if it cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted. Some of these things can be found only by testing the water. Water quality testing is often done by examining samples of water in a laboratory. These tests show the type and amount of contamination and are usually necessary to find chemical contamination. But they can be costly. While useful, water quality testing is usually less important than raising community awareness of water issues and careful protection of water sources.
Understanding what makes water unsafe and taking steps to protect water from contamination prevents many health problems.