A REVIEW OF THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON WATER QUALITY AND HUMAN HEALTH

Abstract

Climate change has posed a debate to the world lately. It has caused a wide array of effects including ecological influences, agricultural impacts, floods and human health effects. Water scarcity and pollution are also related to climate variations. Intense storms, drought and floods being experienced in the world, which have a potential to influence the water quality, have been reported across the world. Waterborne pathogens are affected by the changing weather patterns and are likely to affect human health. This review was done with an aim to determine the impacts of climate change on water quality and its relations to human health. This review presents a chronology of the potential impacts of climate change on water quality and human health. Bacterial, viral and algal blooms change with variability in climate. Seasonal variations in waterborne pathogens influence human health. Escherichia coli O157:H7 is mostly paid attention to at the cost of other potentially harmful pathogens in the same genus (Escherichia). Studies done at different parts of the world were considered, analyzed and presented in a systematic format based on the review objective. Climate change was found to have a strong influence on water quality affecting waterborne pathogens lifecycle, chemical contamination and encouraging algal blooms. There is a need for continuous assessment of water quality for potential climate related waterborne pathogens.