Eline Boelee

Multiple Uses of Water and Health

Relevant health issues

• Water quality

• Water availability: quantity & accessibility

• Hygiene behavior

• Vector-borne diseases

• Other issues

• Incorporation in planning and design

Winrock meeting 26Apr06

• Different requirements – Irrigation– (human) consumption – other uses (e.g. laundry, animals)

• Chemical / biological water quality – trade offs

• Perceptions

• Treatment

Water quality

Chemical water quality

• Arsenic

• Fluoride

• Salinity

• Iron (taste)

• Often geological origin

• Occasionally agro-chemicals or industrial

• Sometimes treatment possible

Biological water quality

• Main cause of diarrhea

• Bacteria, viruses, parasites

• Sources of contamination – lack of sanitation– upstream activities– transport & in-house contamination

• Often preventable

• Water treatment effective

• Opportunity – Ecosan, wastewater irrigation– Closing nutrient cycle

WHO norm for drinking water

Example: biological water quality Legedini

bacteria

parasites

0.6% of children positive for Giardia (n=326)

Treatment options

• Central treatment– Expensive if quantities increase– No guarantee for safe consumption

• Point of use treatment– Availability of options– Training for safe use– Sustainable?

• Component approach– Lowest quality required as starting point– Not more expensive if planned for– Treatment of community storage

• Quantity: 15, 50, or 100 lpcd?

• In dry areas: using available water wisely

• Demand vs supply-driven

• Accessibility to all, near house, for large part of day/night → time gain (women & children!!)

• Condition (but not sufficient) for improved hygiene

• More water for (other) productive purposes

• Seepage from unlined canals & reservoirs: impact on availability and quality of water for drinking

Water availability

Increase access

• Domestic-plus systems– Increased pipe diameter– Cattle troughs– Right of use

• Productive-plus – Steps, laundry sites– Cattle crossings– Water rights

• Multipurpose– All users and uses, including landless, women, poor– Users’ priorities!– Multiple sources for multiple uses– Incremental services over time

Domestic-plus

Productive-plus

Multipurpose

Adidaero, Tigray, Ethiopia

Also in dry areas

For many farmers, livestock has first priority!

Vector-borne diseases

• Guinea worm (filtration)

• Schistosomiasis– Case detection and treatment– Separate facilities for washing and bathing– Sanitation and environmental snail control

• Malaria and other mosquito-transmitted diseases (dengue, yellow fever, filariasis)– Early detection & treatment– Personal protection: bed nets– Source reduction

• Larviciding not compatible with several water uses• Filling & draining• Biological control

Other issues

• Nutrition

• Drowning

• Zoonoses

• Changes in labor requirements (women and children)

• Perceptions of changes in human health

• Conflicts over water

• Increased income

• Environmental hazards

Health issues in planning & design

• Sufficient quantities for all purposes

• Clean water for drinking– Reduction of upstream pollution– Innovative approach to treatment

• Sanitation and hygiene education

• Prevention of vector breeding

• Participation & perceptions

Thank you