World Water Day has many different meanings for communities and individuals. Though the meanings may differ, the end goal is still the same – proper water resource management combined with housing structure contributes to a nation’s economic and social vitality and improvement in community and individual health. More focus is needed on access to drinking water and housing and how both are intertwined in healthcare strategies.
Water’s impact on health has been documented throughout history, from the time of the Roman aqueducts to modern day plumbing. Housing and plumbing is often overlooked as being a part of the goal of irradiation of disease. There have been numerous studies indicating that proper housing and irrigation are not only immediate but long lasting measures in the Millennium eradication goals.
It has been two years since the earthquake tore down Haiti’s already delicate health infrastructure. About two thirds of the people went from either public housing or privately owned land to now over crowded camps without the proper housing and water that are needed to sustain health. In October 2010 a cholera outbreak hit Haiti and the death toll is 6,631 and that number is still rising. Cholera is transmitted from either infected food or water. The path of cholera, if left alone without any intervention, leads to death from dehydration. Not having a way for people to receive clean water has caused Haiti to lose more members of their community, reducing the available workforce even further. Cholera affects people throughout the world but the concentration is on Haiti now because of their current lack of decent housing and water irrigation. The focus implemented now seems to be treating people as they come along and sheltering people in camps; in order for Haiti to move forward and survive these tragedies they are going to need preventable measures involving housing, water supply and education.
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease that is considered neglected by many. Though roughly 230 million people require treatment yearly, studies show that only about 14 percent of the people requiring treatments are reached. The area that is most concentrated with this illness is Sub-Saharan Africa where appropriate housing and irrigation systems are lacking throughout the region. Kristina Zakhary’s 1997 study showed that many dams in Ghana were built in order to provide power for the production for aluminum industry. People living in the vicinity of the dams with houses made of mud-brick with thatched roofs showed increases in schistosomiasis after the dams were built.
Trachoma is considered water borne disease that affects the eye and can lead to blindness if untreated. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are about six million worldwide that are blind due to trachoma and more than 150 million people are in need of treatment. The global burden of active trachoma is concentrated in Ethiopia and Sudan which are some of the poorest countries in the world. Issues such as indoor plumbing as usually tied in with the country’s GDP.
The three studies mentioned prove that housing and irrigation are factors in health. There currently seems to be a lack of integrating the issue of proper housing and how it affects certain healthcare outcomes. There is greater need for increased research and funding in the areas of living conditions and suitable domestic water supply if we seek demonstrable improvements in global health.