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Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 26 January 2011
Recent widespread flooding may increase the risk for outbreaks associated with the contamination of drinking water sources, warns the Water Research Commission (WRC). However, the risk of outbreaks can be minimized if the risk is well recognized and disaster-response addresses the provision of clean water as a priority.
 The obvious impact of the floods is damage to crops, irrigation equipment and farming infrastructure. Photo: Bongiwe Mchunu Mr Jay Bhagwan, Director at the WRC, says “There is an increased risk of infection with water-borne diseases contracted through direct contact with polluted waters, such as wound infections, dermatitis, conjunctivitis, and ear, nose and throat infections”.
Floods may indirectly lead to an increase in vector-borne diseases through the expansion in the number and range of vector habitats. Standing water resulting from heavy rainfall or overflow of rivers can act as breeding sites for mosquitoes, and therefore enhance the potential for exposure of the disaster-affected population and emergency workers to infections.
Bhagwan further says “Flooding may initially flush out mosquito breeding, but it comes back when the waters recede. The lag time is usually around 6-8 weeks before the onset of a malaria epidemic”.
“Generally, floods contribute to the lessening or the dilution of pollutants provided there are no sewage and chemical spills. A bigger concern is the increase in the sediments, plants, trees, litter and other objects” Bhagwan adds. Continue reading Flooding may cause drinking water contamination
Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 12 July 2010
“Don’t ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up.” Robert Frost.
This planet is mainly a mass of water and only a small portion of it is land. Despite all that only a minute share of water in the planet (2.5%) is potable. Most of the latter is locked up as ice while only one per cent is available in lakes, rivers and underground water tables for human consumption. Human body is 65-70% water. Therefore, human health and life on this planet depend on water to a very great extent. If one understands this one could easily comprehend how important it is to keep the water balance adequate to remain healthy all through one’s life.
Water makes up more than two thirds of the weight of the human body. Human brain is made up of 95% water; blood is 62% and lungs 90%. Even as little as 2% drop in body water could trigger dehydration. This is not easily made out as thirst is a rather late symptom of dehydration. Early signs include day time fatigue, fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with mathematics, difficulty in focusing on small print and the computer screen, and muscle pains.
Water is very essential for many of the body functions just as oil and petrol are needed for a car to run. Every cell function needs water. Water serves as a lubricant, it forms the base for saliva, makes up the fluids that bathe the joint capsule, controls the body temperature, regulates metabolism and helps maintain the normal healthy bowel motion. In addition, adequate water intake is essential to keep diseases at bay. Even common cold, sore throat, and ‘flu like illnesses could be prevented to a great extent with adequate hydration to keep the mucus membranes healthy to resist the onslaught of viruses. The minor illness syndromes, mentioned above, are the ones that cause the largest sick-absenteeism in the world every day causing billions of dollars loss to the industry. Continue reading Water and Human Health
Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 17 June 2010
Logging of tropical forests can boost the incidence of malaria in the surrounding area by nearly 50 percent, according to new research tracking deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon.
 Anopheles darlingi mosquito The study examined 2006 data tracking malaria rates in 54 Brazilian health districts and high-definition satellite imagery showing the extent of logging of nearby forests.
“It appears that deforestation is one of the initial ecological factors that can trigger a malaria epidemic,” said Sarah Olson, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow at the Nelson Institute, Centre for Sustainability and the Global Environment.
The clearing of tropical forests can increase malaria rates because it creates conditions that are favourable for the Anopheles darlingi mosquito, the primary malaria carrier in the Amazon, according to Olson.
“The deforested landscape, with more open spaces and partially sunlit pools of water, appears to provide ideal habitat for this mosquito,” she said, noting that the Anopheles darlingi mosquito is even known to displace other mosquitoes that are less likely to transmit malaria.
The research, published Wednesday in the online issue of the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, shows that relatively small changes to the forest can have major effects on the health of the local population. Continue reading Deforestation can trigger malaria epidemic
Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 01 May 2010
South Africa should start looking for alternative solutions to control malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Using DDT to curb the spread of malaria has been proven by researchers to pose a huge risk to human beings. According to [...]
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