Sanitation Updates

David Batty, The Guardian, Friday May 9 2008 (This article appeared in the Guardian on Friday May 09 2008 on p21 of the International section. It was last updated at 00:41 on May 09 2008 )

What is the main health risk after the cyclone? The primary risk following the flooding of the delta region is the outbreak of diseases spread by contaminated water, such as diarrhoea, cholera and typhoid. Aid agencies on the ground report that flooding and broken pipes have allowed sewage, toxins and groundwater into the water supply. Lakes, rice paddies and streams are also dirty because they are littered with corpses. Stagnant water is providing a breeding ground for bacteria and mosquitoes. According to Save the Children, more than a third of deaths in previous similar disasters have been caused by waterborne diseases.  (….)

Read all guardian.co.uk

Widespread flooding in southern Angola has been blamed for a surge in cholera, with 4,500 cases of the waterborne disease reported this year, and 150 fatalities.

[...]

“Stagnant ponds create further breeding sites for malaria-carrying mosquitoes; wells and latrines have been contaminated with floodwater, and local communities are cut off from their usual water sources. Without clean water families hit by the floods are at serious risk of death and disease”, said Adam Berthoud, Regional Public Health Advisor for Oxfam.

Read more: IRIN, 1 April 2008

The East African Standard (Nairobi) 31 March 2008
Posted to the web 31 March 2008

Nairobi

Outbreaks of cholera in Nyanza Province have put the spotlight on a problem that doesn’t seem to get much Government attention - rural sanitation.

There have been more than 450 cases and 39 deaths reported since January, the beginning of the International Year of Sanitation. The epidemic began in Suba and Siaya districts, spread to Homa Bay and then the lake-side city of Kisumu. Another outbreak has been reported in Budalang’i constituency, Busia district.

Two factors mentioned by public health authorities as driving its spread were food preparation for large groups, such as funeral feasts, and improper disposal of human waste.

“Only about 30 per cent of residents have built pit latrines,” one health official said. “People defecate in the bush.”

Read more: AllAfrica.com and East African Standard

VIENTIANE, Lao PDR, 30 January 2008 – The first outbreak of cholera in southern Lao People’s Democratic Republic in nearly eight years has prompted a vigorous response from UNICEF and its partners.

Securing safe water and adequate sanitation is essential in tackling cholera, a water-borne disease. As such, immediate support has included chlorinating water sources, repairing damaged bore holes and educating villagers on hygiene.

Read more: Tom Greenwood, UNICEF, 30 Jan 2008

21 Jan 2008, Source South Asia

Millions of dollars in foreign aid have been spent on tsunami relief in Sri Lanka since December 2004, but three years later, some new settlements still lack basic facilities. A recent study found that over 60 per cent of all the new relocated occupants surveyed found the amenities, including water, worse than before the tsunami. With donor aid for tsunami projects ending, significant support is still needed for infrastructure.

Read more

23 Jan 2008, Source Weekly

The first global overview of basic water and sanitation indicators in refugee camps is presented (using data from 2003–2006) and compared with selected health and nutrition indicators. This demonstrates that average levels of water and sanitation provision are acceptable at camp level, but many refugee operations are suffering from gaps that cross-cut these sectors; e.g. typically poor sanitation provision is corresponding with low per capita availability of water.

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Jan 9, 2008

Homes in Aceh, Indonesia, destroyed in the tsunami in December 2004 have been replaced by better houses with proper sanitation. Much more progress like this is needed in this International Year of Sanitation.

In 2004, 42 per cent of the world’s population – 2.6 billion people – were without improved sanitation facilities. Lack of sanitation, along with poor hygiene and unsafe drinking water, contributes to the deaths, from diarrhoeal diseases, of more than 1.5 million children each year.

Link to the People and Planet article

Jan 3 - Children at the Virgen del Carmen camp for earthquake survivors are staying healthy by learning proper hygiene practices. Survivors of the earthquake that devastated Peru in August of last year are still desperately in need of help. There are roughly 24,000 people still living in approximately 100 camps, waiting to return to their homes.

In response to recurring health problems in shelters, a UNICEF-supported initiative is educating children about hygiene and sanitation in order to prevent disease. A group of actors known as The Kallpa Group visits the camps to perform entertaining presentations involving characters such as Mrs. Latrine and Mr. Cleanliness.

These lively plays have been effective ways to encourage children to use clean water and maintain hygienic conditions in the recently installed latrines.

Link to the Living Peru article