Water, Sanitation and Health Risks in India due to Poor Water Quality

Water, Sanitation and Health Risks in India due to Poor Water QualityGenevieve Lunceford

Defining the Risk

In developing countries, about 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions

Drinking water sources are under increasing threat from contaminationExtensive consequences for social and economic development of communities and the health of children

Risk FactorIncludes several factors:intake of polluted waterwater scarcity connected to poor hygienesubpar agricultural practicescontact with unsafe waterinsufficient administration of water resources and/or systems

Sanitation DisparitiesDisparities exist between the rich and poor and are much greater in sanitation than water. The poor are half as likely to have water access and one-fourth as likely to have sanitation access. More than half of the forty-one percent of global society that do not have enhanced sanitations reside in China and IndiaWhile an upper middle class area in India gets water for 45 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes in the eveningThe top 10 percent of Indias wage earners make 12 times more than the countrys lowest 10 percent. Those elite are perched next to the slums with green lawns, luscious golf courses, and swimming pools.

Access to Enhanced Sanitation

Extent of the ProblemWater and sanitation worries are of immense scale: 1.1 billion individuals, roughly 17 percent of the worlds population, are without improved water. Even more do not have safe drinking water available. Nearly 41 percent (2.6 billion) lack improved sanitation.Contaminated drinking water often contains the bacteria Vibrio cholerae and is a major cause of epidemic diarrhea throughout the developing world.

As of 2009

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Cholera ExplainedCholera is a water-borne bacterial infection that infests the digestive system. Indicators of infection are comprised of vomiting, severe diarrhea and intense cramps. Those that suffer from being infected quickly deplete body fluids and become alarmingly dehydrated. Without treatment they can go into shock from low blood pressure or die. In the most critical occurrences, it can be fatal within hours of patients becoming infected.

Population StrainsIndias population is around 1.2 billion, of which 77 million have no access to safe water. 769 million do not have improved sanitation available. Nearly 60% of Indias population survives on two dollars a day or less.

Indias massive and increasing population is placing a severe strain on all of the countrys natural resources. The majority of water sources are polluted by agricultural runoff and sewage. India has made advances in supplying safe water to the people, however abundant inequality in coverage is present. Even though access to drinking water has gotten better, the World Bank estimates that 21% of communicable diseases in India are associated with unclean water. In India, diarrhea alone causes more than 1,600 deaths daily.

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Hygiene PracticesHand washing is not common which is increasing the spread of diseases. Latrine utilization is exceptionally deficient in rural areas of the country with only 14% of the rural population with access to a latrine. The only way to decrease the spread of disease through drinking-water is to improve latrine usage and hygiene at the same time.

Indian cities produce nearly 40 billion liters of sewage every day and barely 20 percent of it is treated. The remaining 80 percent of the untreated sewage flows directly into the nations rivers, polluting the main sources of drinking water.

Mallapur, Chaitanya Mallapur. "70% Of Urban India's Sewage Is Untreated."Boom Live. N.p., 27 Jan. 2016. Web. 13 Mar. 2016.

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Managing the RiskThe best way of dealing with faecal contamination of drinking water is by inhibiting it from happening in the first place. Well-constructed latrines that are used routinely help put a stop to the contamination of water supplies. Consistent hand-washing after defecation and prior to handling water (or food) reduces the hazard that water utilized and kept in the home is contaminated by unclean hands.

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Whos Responsible for Managing the Risk?Everyone!Governmental agenciesProvide an inexpensive rotavirus vaccine Rotavirus is one of the most common causes of diarrhoea which kills nearly 80,000 children under the age of five every yearInvest in safe drinking water, hygiene, and sanitation infrastructureSupport clear and targeted health promotions and behavior modification programs

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Health care providers Ensure availability of adequate medical supplies like oral rehydration solutionsEducate health workers on the proper treatment of diarrhea Healthcare facilities provide amenities for hand washing, proper disposal of human waste, and provision of safe water Encourage appropriate antibiotic useTraining programs from the health care providers to the community Utilize creative ways to motivate the community to change learned behaviors into safe behaviors

Whos Responsible for Managing the Risk? (cont.)

Utilize creative ways to motivate the community to change learned behaviors into safe behaviors

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Whos Responsible for Managing the Risk? (cont.)Non-governmental/aid organizationsIncrease adoption of proven measures against diarrhea, beginning with rotavirus vaccinationsSupply oral rehydration therapy for those in needKeep a focus on the provision of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene when responding to emergency and conflict situationsInitiate programs to improve household and community systems for treating and storing water

The Tech to ImproveSeveral zero-discharge technologies exist and can be explored to process all waste on-site at the household, village and colony levelsEnzyme waste water technologyWastewater Treatment Enzyme naturally stimulates indigenous or augmented bacteria in a system allowing them to quickly double or triple plate counts. This ramp up increases digestion which decreases measurable BOD, TSS, etc.Double vault composting latrinesSeparates the solids from the liquids and allows for solid reduction to about 5% its original volume.Pour-flush toiletsSeptic tanksVentilated improved pit (VIP) latrinesComposting latrinesAllow waste to be used as a fertilizer after it has been stored under suitable conditions to kill worm eggs and other pathogens.Dry sanitation or eco-sanitationOnsite disposal method that requires the separation of urine and faeces Building and operating these systems is often much less expensive than off-site alternatives.

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Empowering the community through awareness and education about proper sanitation and hygiene is the cornerstone to managing the risk.

Changing the learned behaviors and attitudes of an established culture to one that promotes the principles of suitable practices in regards to personal hygiene, sanitation practices, and safe methods of handling water is the biggest challenge with the greatest potential to reduce the hazards.