An assessment of long-term biosand filter use and sustainability in the Artibonite Valley near Deschapelles, Haiti

February 7, 2013 · 0 comments

Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development Vol 3 No 1 pp 51–60, 2013 doi:10.2166/washdev.2013.092

An assessment of long-term biosand filter use and sustainability in the Artibonite Valley near Deschapelles, Haiti

Andrew J. Sisson, Peter J. Wampler, Richard R. Rediske and Azizur R. Molla
Annis Water Resource Institute, Grand Valley State University, 740 W. Shoreline Dr. Muskegon, MI 49451 E-mail: sissonaj@gmail.com
Department of Geology, Grand Valley State University, 1 Campus Dr. Allendale, MI 49401
Annis Water Resource Institute, Grand Valley State University, 740 W. Shoreline Dr. Muskegon, MI 49451
Department of Anthropology, Grand Valley State University, 1 Campus Dr. Allendale, MI 49401

A non-randomized assessment of long-term biosand filter (BSF) use and sustainability in the Artibonite Valley near Deschapelles, Haiti was conducted during March, 2011. Of the 55 BSFs visited, 47% were no longer in use. Filter lifespan ranged from <1 year to systems still in use after 12 years. Interviews with BSF owners revealed problems related to intermittent filter use due to travel for employment or personal matters; broken or missing filter parts; and fears that the filter would not be effective against cholera. In addition, 17 BSF field studies were reviewed to identify common issues impacting usage.

Culturally appropriate technologies and education materials explaining proper maintenance and operation are essential for improved filter performance and sustainability. For Haiti, education materials should be provided in Creole and French and should include, (1) diagrams and descriptions of how the BSF works, (2) how to troubleshoot common problems, (3) how to properly maintain filters, and (4) a contact in case of questions. Operational problems can be minimized by providing long-term technical support, periodic water quality monitoring, and maintenance assistance for filter users.

Microbiological quality of chlorinated water after storage in ceramic pots

February 7, 2013 · 0 comments

Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development Vol 2 No 4 pp 250–253, 2012 doi:10.2166/washdev.2012.028

Microbiological quality of chlorinated water after storage in ceramic pots

Clair Null and Daniele Lantagne
Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA E-mail: clair.null@emory.edu
Sustainability Science Program, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

Household water treatment with sodium hypochlorite has been shown to reduce self-reported diarrheal disease in developing countries. Reported hypochlorite use, time since treatment, total chlorine residual (TCR), and E. coli concentration results from 589 household surveys in rural Kenya were analyzed to quantify the effect of exceeding recommended 24 hour post-treatment water storage time in ceramic pots.

Exceeding storage time recommendations impacted treatment efficacy, as 87% of reported treaters with TCR ≥ 0.2 mg/L storing their water ≤ 24 hours met World Health Organization (WHO) E. coli guideline values, compared to 77% of reported treaters with TCR ≥ 0.2 mg/L storing water >24 hours (p = 0.024) and 7% of reported non-treaters. Implementing organizations face the trade-off between promoting treating water every 24 hours and accepting slightly compromised efficacy.

Qualitative risk assessment of self-supply hand-dug wells in Abeokuta, Nigeria

February 6, 2013 · 1 comment

Qualitative risk assessment of self-supply hand-dug wells in Abeokuta, Nigeria: a water safety plan approach. Waterlines, Volume 32, Number 1, January 2013 , pp. 36-49(14)

Oluwasanya, Grace

The development of water safety plans for self-supply systems should be based on a thorough understanding of contamination events, identified risk factors, and source management practices. This paper presents an experience from a self-supply hand-dug wells assessment in Abeokuta, Nigeria, which illustrates the water safety plans process.

A total of 99 hand-dug wells were assessed. Particular reference was made to the use of qualitative risk assessments of identified hazardous events for water safety plans for these types of systems in developing countries. Sixteen hazardous events are identified with 21 causes found to be responsible for the events. Proximity of hand-dug wells to sources of contaminations, coupled with the problems of construction, operation, and hygiene are highlighted as four major water safety threats. Five major risk factors are further associated with self-supply wells in the location.

The paper noted the urgent interventions needed for the safety of source, water, and public health and discusses the need to provide multiple safe barriers against source water contamination. It concludes that qualitative risk assessment based on well-defined sanitary survey and risk characterization processes can provide a basic tool for water safety interventions; that is, interventions to household-level systems where sophisticated hazard and risk analytical approaches may not be feasible.

Heavy loads: children’s burdens of water carrying in Malawi

February 6, 2013 · 1 comment

Heavy loads: children’s burdens of water carrying in Malawi. Waterlines, Volume 32, Number 1, January 2013 , pp. 23-35(13)

Robson, E.; Porter, G.; Hampshire, K.; Munthali, A.

This paper documents water carrying by children aged 9-18 years across Malawi in Southern Africa and evaluates impacts on health and school attendance. At 12 urban and rural field sites quantitative data were collected by questionnaire interviews with 1,504 children. Qualitative data collection preceded the survey. Overall 89 per cent of girls and 66 per cent of boys carried water, with 68 per cent of girls, but just 32 per cent of boys, carrying water daily.

Water as the heaviest load routinely carried was reported by 57 per cent of children and 35 per cent reported pains and health problems from load carrying. Up to 10 per cent of girls and 6 per cent of boys responded that carrying water made them late or absent from school. Geography, age, and other factors influence these patterns. We conclude that girls in rural and remote rural communities have the heaviest burdens of daily water carrying detrimental to their health and school attendance. Improving water access and challenging gender stereotyping should reduce burdens on children, especially girls.

The joint effects of efficacy and compliance: A study of household water treatment effectiveness against childhood diarrhea

February 6, 2013 · 0 comments

Water Research, Volume 47, Issue 3, 1 March 2013, Pages 1181–1190

The joint effects of efficacy and compliance: A study of household water treatment effectiveness against childhood diarrhea

Kyle S., et al.

The effectiveness of household water treatment (HWT) at reducing diarrheal disease is related to the efficacy of the HWT method at removing pathogens, how people comply with HWT, and the relative contributions of other pathogen exposure routes. We define compliance with HWT as the proportion of drinking water treated by a community. Although many HWT methods are efficacious at removing or inactivating pathogens, their effectiveness within actual communities is decreased by imperfect compliance. However, the quantitative relationship between compliance and effectiveness is poorly understood.

To assess the effectiveness of HWT on childhood diarrhea incidence via drinking water for three pathogen types (bacterial, viral, and protozoan), we developed a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) model. We examined the relationship between log10 removal values (LRVs) and compliance with HWT for scenarios varying by: baseline incidence of diarrhea; etiologic fraction of diarrhea by pathogen type; pattern of compliance within a community; and size of contamination spikes in source water. Benefits from increasing LRVs strongly depend on compliance.

For perfect compliance, diarrheal incidence decreases as LRVs increase. However, if compliance is incomplete, there are diminishing returns from increasing LRVs in most of the scenarios we considered. Higher LRVs are more beneficial if: contamination spikes are large; contamination levels are generally high; or some people comply perfectly. The effectiveness of HWT interventions at the community level may be limited by imperfect compliance, such that the benefits of high LRVs are not realized.

Compliance with HWT should be carefully measured during HWT field studies and HWT dissemination programs. Studies of pathogen concentrations in a variety of developing-country source waters are also needed. Guidelines are needed for measuring and promoting compliance with HWT.

Pasteurization of water using solar Aquapak: A case study

February 1, 2013 · 0 comments

PASTEURIZATION OF WATER USING SOLAR AQUAPAK: A CASE STUDY, 2012.

by Prof. Oluwole Agbede of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and facilited with the help of Femi Odediran, former Sr. Adviser, Water and Sanitation with UNICEF New York.

University of Ibadan, Nigeria was provided solar pasteurizers by Femi Odediran, retired UNICEF water and sanitation senior adviser. Water from a borehole at Fanawole, a well at Oju Oja, and a stream at Adeosun areas were collected and all contained biological pathogens. The solar pasteurizers, each containing a WAPI (water pasteurization indicator), were used to heat the water to 65°C, thus, eliminating the harmful pathogens.

Acceptance and Use of Eight Arsenic-Safe Drinking Water Options in Bangladesh

January 30, 2013 · 1 comment

Acceptance and Use of Eight Arsenic-Safe Drinking Water Options in Bangladesh. (2013). PLoS ONE 8(1): e53640. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0053640

Jennifer Inauen, et al.

Arsenic contamination of drinking water is a serious public health threat. In Bangladesh, eight major safe water options provide an alternative to contaminated shallow tubewells: piped water supply, deep tubewells, pond sand filters, community arsenic-removal, household arsenic removal, dug wells, well-sharing, and rainwater harvesting. However, it is uncertain how well these options are accepted and used by the at-risk population. Based on the RANAS model (risk, attitudes, norms, ability, and self-regulation) this study aimed to identify the acceptance and use of available safe water options. Cross-sectional face-to-face interviews were used to survey 1,268 households in Bangladesh in November 2009 (n = 872), and December 2010 (n = 396). The questionnaire assessed water consumption, acceptance factors from the RANAS model, and socioeconomic factors.

Although all respondents had access to at least one arsenic-safe drinking water option, only 62.1% of participants were currently using these alternatives. The most regularly used options were household arsenic removal filters (92.9%) and piped water supply (85.6%). However, the former result may be positively biased due to high refusal rates of household filter owners. The least used option was household rainwater harvesting (36.6%).

Those who reported not using an arsenic-safe source differed in terms of numerous acceptance factors from those who reported using arsenic-safe sources: non-users were characterized by greater vulnerability; showed less preference for the taste and temperature of alternative sources; found collecting safe water quite time-consuming; had lower levels of social norms, self-efficacy, and coping planning; and demonstrated lower levels of commitment to collecting safe water.

Acceptance was particularly high for piped water supplies and deep tubewells, whereas dug wells and well-sharing were the least accepted sources. Intervention strategies were derived from the results in order to increase the acceptance and use of each arsenic-safe water option.

Water Diaries: generate intra-household water use data – generate water use behaviour change

January 30, 2013 · 0 comments

Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development Vol 3 No 1 pp 70–80, 2013 doi:10.2166/washdev.2013.015

Water Diaries: generate intra-household water use data – generate water use behaviour change

K. Harriden. Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University, New Flows Research, PO Box 6069 Mawson ACT 2607, Australia E-mail: kate@newflowsresearch.com

With the current ‘water crisis’ essentially a crisis in water management, the need to clearly understand domestic water use is critical. In recent years there has been a growing awareness of the need to manage demand in all water sectors. However, demand mechanics at the intra-household scale are not well understood, with many utilities adopting a ‘command and control’ mentality rather than engaging with household water users, their water use knowledge and behaviours.

This paper describes the Water Diary, a method to generate intra-household water use data, as a tool to promote water use behaviour change through sensitising users to their water behaviours and practices. Anecdotal evidence, of participants’ increased water use sensitisation encouraging behaviour change, received following each of three Water Diary surveys (2007–2009), was quantified in 2010 with questionnaires and interviews of 40% of households that participated in the Water Diary surveys.

The interviews revealed only three households did not become more aware of their water use and all but four recorded water use behaviour change, consequent to Water Diary participation. Requiring a high level of householder participation, water diary keeping can sensitise householders to their water use, to the point of enduring behaviour change.

The burden of common childhood illnesses in peri-urban households: the multiple effects of multiple exposures to environmental conditions

January 30, 2013 · 1 comment

From: Khin Thet Wai, Email: khinthetwaidmr@gmail.com
Sent: Sunday, January 20, 2013 4:40 PM

Dear All,

I have some recent information related to the requirement of HWTS promotion for under five children in low and middle income peri-urban households to combat acute diarrhoea as well as ARI. This research paper has been presented at 41st Myanmar Health Research Congress (7-11 January, 2013). This manuscript is now preparing for publications. The lead author won Young Researcher Award.

The paper is entitled: “The burden of common childhood illnesses in peri-urban households: the multiple effects of multiple exposures to environmental conditions” By: Su Latt Tun Myint , Khin Thet Wai , Khay Mar Mya and Phyu Sin Aye Department of Medical Research (lower Myanmar) and University of Public Health, Yangon

One cross-sectional study done between September-November, 2012 in Yangon Region, Myanmar covered 620 mothers/care-takers of under-five children from low and middle income peri-urban households. They reported 3.9% (24/620) of acute diarrhoea and 48.4% (300/620) of acute respiratory infections in index children within past two weeks. The odds of occurrence of ARI increased if they had suffered from acute diarrhea (crude OR=4.6; 95% CI- 1.6-11.6; P=0.002). Integrated water, sanitation, and hygiene strategies for reducing acute diarrhea are likely to reduce ARI.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Khin Thet Wai
Director (Socio-Medical Research)
Department of Medical Research (lower Myanmar)

Carbon credits and HWTS: A viable “green” funding mechanism?

January 30, 2013 · 0 comments

Dear Colleagues:

During 2012, the International Network on Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage hosted a webinar titled: “Carbon credits and HWTS: A viable “green” funding mechanism?”.

The webinar sought to address questions on the possibility of raising finance in this way. A number of implementers in the Network (as featured in recent newsletters) have tapped into carbon markets to finance the delivery of their programs, on the basis that HWT and clean cook stove projects can reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The webinar aimed to (1) provide an overview of how carbon markets function; (2) identify methodologies for linking HWT to carbon‐based funding; and (3) highlight the main considerations in utilising carbon finance. Following the presentations, a discussion period took place during which participants had the opportunity to pose questions and learn more about this funding mechanism.

The report of this webinar captures what we learned and is available online at: http://waterinstitute.unc.edu/hwts/events/2012_webinar1.

If you would like to ask questions, please feel free to join our online discussion by clicking here: http://bit.ly/SKXfRE. Please email me if you do not have a username and password or have trouble logging in.

Best regards
Ryan Rowe, Network Communications Officer

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