SANATU ZAMBANG STUDIOS (Podcast)

Water Management Issues Existing low cost technologies that can save lives today 1. Chlorination Adding chlorine in liquid or tablet form to drinking water stored in a protected container. At a dose of a few mg/l and contact times of about 30-60 minutes (one teaspoon of domestic bleach to 20 litres of water and leaving it for one hour). Free chlorine generally inactivates >99.99% of enteric bacteria and viruses, provided water is clear. Household chlorination has achieved widespread use, and is appropriate for on-site disinfection. 2. Solar disinfection One low cost technique involves exposing water in clear plastic bottles to sunlight for six hours e.g. on the roof of the house (or for 2 days if the sun is obscured by clouds). One can also paint the plastic bottle black. A combination of heat and ultra-violet radiation from the sun are used to inactivate pathogens present in water. The water should be consumed directly from the bottle or transferred to a clean...

  Waterborne Diseases Factsheet Water related diseases are classified into four types relating to the path of transmission: Waterborne diseases, such as cholera and typhoid, are the diseases that are transmitted through drinking water. The interruption of transmission is achieved by proper treatment of drinking water.   Water-washed (water-scarce) diseases, such as polio, are diseases where the interruption of the transmission is achieved through proper attention to effective sanitation, washing and personal hygiene. Regular washing of hands, especially after going to the toilet, is the most effective measure in preventing many infections, as is proper washing and hygiene during food preparation, together with proper sanitation, waste disposal and fly control.   Water based diseases are diseases transmitted by contact with water, e.g. recreational swimming.   Water vector diseases, such as malaria, are diseas...

How much suffering can be prevented? How many may be are at risk? 1,1 billion people lack access to an “improved” drinking water supply. Many more drink water that is grossly contaminated. How many are getting sick? 4 billion cases of diarrhoea occur annually, of which 88% is attributable to unsafe water and inadequate sanitation and hygiene. How many are dying? 1.8 million people die every year from diarrhoeal diseases, the vast majority are children under 5. How many more cannot escape poverty? Lack of safe water perpetuates a cycle whereby poor populations become further disadvantaged, and poverty becomes entrenched. How much of this can be prevented? It is estimated that 94% of diarrhoeal cases are preventable through modifications to the environment, including interventions to increase the availability of clean water and to improve sanitation and hygiene. The Water Cycle The amount of fresh water is limited and it continuously r...

Urbanisation As more and more people move into cities and towns, a number of factors cause pollution: the physical disturbance of land due to construction of houses, industries, roads, etc.; chemical pollution from industries, mines, etc.; inadequate sewage collection and treatment; increase in fertilisers to grow more food. This results in an increase in nutrients (nitrates and phosphates) in the water which causes enhanced plant growth (algal blooms). When this plant material dies and decays the bacteria uses the oxygen in the water. This lowering of oxygen levels results in the death of other water life that needs oxygen to survive, eg. fish, etc. This process is called eutrophication; litter, which causes disease and has a negative visual impact. Deforestation Clearing land for agriculture and urban growth often leads to water pollution. When soil is stripped of its protective vegetation it becomes prone to soil erosion. This leads to an increase in the murkin...

Africa faces huge challenges with multiple issues that adversely affect public health. One major challenge is the ability for both rural and urban Africans to access a clean water supply. According to the WHO (2006), only 59% of the world's population had access to adequate sanitation systems, and efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goal, which is aiming for 75% by the year 2015, will fall short by nearly half a billion people.  The situation of access to clean water and sanitation in rural Africa is even more dismal than the previous statistics imply. The WHO (2006) stated that, in 2004, only 16% of people in sub-Saharan Africa had access to drinking water through a household connection (an indoor tap or a tap in the yard). Not only is there poor access to readily accessible drinking water, even when water is available in these small towns, there are risks of contamination due to several factors. When wells are bu...

Plastic waste is a growing concern and the drivers behind it look set to continue. Although recently there has been a slight decrease in plastic production, this is unlikely to be maintained. Plastic is a highly useful material and its applications are expected to increase as more new products and plastics are developed to meet demands. The increased use and production of plastic in developing and emerging countries is a particular concern, as the sophistication of their waste management infrastructure may not be developing at an appropriate rate to deal with their increasing levels of plastic waste.     Management of waste in the EU has been improving in terms of recycling and energy recovery, but there is still much to be done. At the heart of the problem is one of plastic’s most valued properties: its durability. Combined with the throwaway culture that has grown up around plastic products, this means that we are using materials ...

One of the largest problem with plastics is improper disposal by consumers. Plastic items make their way into the environment, especially our oceans. It is on all our beaches and throughout all our waterways. The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre is filled with millions of pounds of trash, most of it plastic. The United Nations Environment Program report estimates 46,000 pieces of plastic debris floats on our near the surface of every square mile of ocean. 107 billion pounds of plastic were produced in North America in 2002. The U.S. generated 31 million tons of plastic waste in 2010. The overall U.S. plastics recycling rate is only 8 percent. Plastics stay in the environment for a very long time. Most commonly used plastics do not mineralize (or go away) in the ocean and instead break down into smaller and smaller pieces. Because the ocean is a cold, dark place, this process happens slower in water than on land. Plastic can harm fish and other wildlife in ...