Water and Health

The actions most likely to make a meaningful global impact in the IWA’s field of interest should focus on the theme “The Global Future of Water Quality and Health”. The motivation for this recommendation is based on data regarding the global impact on human health of waterborne diseases.

For instance, according to the WHO every year there are 1.7 million deaths related to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene, mainly through infectious diarrhoea. The vast majority of these deaths are among children under five years of age. An estimated 4 billion cases of diarrhoea annually account for over 82 million Disability Adjusted Life Years, representing 5.7 % of the global burden of disease and placing diarrhoeal diseases as the third highest cause of morbidity and sixth highest cause of mortality. In addition, waterborne disease is a major threat to millions who are displaced or otherwise affected by conflicts and disasters. Confidence in success of the strategy is supported by data and experience on reductions in the incidence of waterborne diseases by intervention strategies based on relatively simple and economic technology, and education and training.

It is, therefore, recommended that the approach to the objective should be based on the following elements:

• Professional networking
• Education/Communication
• Development of a global research agenda
• Development of a network for professional services

The programme will be driven by the IWA Specialist Group on Health-Related Water Microbiology. The above mentioned elements should be used to establish links of collaboration with a number of essential role-players in the field concerned, including:

• Other IWA Specialist Groups with related expertise and technology, including the groups for water reuse, small-scale water treatment plants, ecosan, and watershed protection.
• Local authorities and education establishments in selected developing communities.
• International establishments engaged in related work such as the WHO. This would include participation in the WHO international network for communication on methods to improve the quality of drinking water stored in homes without piped domestic supplies of water.
• International agencies which could facilitate funding of the project including IWA, Global Water Coalition, World Bank, United Nations.

For more information contact Darren Saywell at IWA.