What are the key issues and statistics regarding water access and scarcity in Kenya, and why is safe drinking water important?

You're on a roll — Here are the answers to the questions: 2. Why is access to safe drinking water important? i) It is a critical determinant of individual health, preventing waterborne diseases. ii) It is less prone to contamination, ensuring the water is fit for consumption. 3. Comment on the use of statistics in the second paragraph. The statistics are used to quantify the severity of the water crisis in Kenya, highlighting that a significant percentage (49.41%) of Kenyans still rely on unimproved water sources and that millions (27 million) lack access to improved sanitation. This provides concrete evidence of the problem's scale. 4. Make notes on improved water sources. • Improved water sources are less prone to contamination, making them safer for consumption. • They are designed to protect water from external pollution, such as from human or animal waste. • Access to improved sources is crucial for public health and hygiene. 5. Compare Kenya's water situation as it was at independence and as it was in 2014. At independence, Kenya had approximately 2.4 million liters of water available per person per year. By 2014, this amount had drastically shrunk to 461,000 liters per person per year, indicating a severe decline in water availability. 6. What are the effects of water scarcity on communities? i) It leads to communities spending significant amounts of money to acquire water. ii) It undermines a country's capacity to ensure food security and meet its population's basic needs. iii) It becomes a daily, time-consuming activity for women and children, who must walk long distances and queue for hours to fetch water. 7. Discuss the irony evident in the access to water in urban areas. The irony is that despite urban areas often being centers of development and having more infrastructure, they still face significant challenges in water access. This is ironic because one would expect better access in developed areas, yet issues like inadequate infrastructure, rapid urbanization, and poor management can lead to residents, particularly in informal settlements, struggling to get clean water, sometimes even more so than some rural areas. 8. Give the meaning of the following expressions as used in the passage. i) Eke out: To make a living or survive with great difficulty, often by using limited resources sparingly. Send me the next one 📸