Abstract:In this article the effect of redistribution of rainfall by banana on local water fluxes and the possible impact of these fluxes on surface runoff has been studied. First the water redistribution by a banana canopy at three development stages (vegetative, flowering, and bunch stage) was measured. The results showed a considerable stemflow, proportional to the leaf area index (LAI), which represented 18 to 26% of the incident rainfall volume according to the age of the crop. Consequently, the rainfall rate was 28-fold higher at the plant collar for a fully developed banana canopy. For the throughfall, on average, the higher the LAI, the lower the mean throughfall. In addition, the spatial distribution of the throughfall varied according to the distance from the pseudostem. Notably, for the earlier stages, the area between the pseudostem and 0Ð5 m from it received weak throughfall. Secondly, simulations were carried out with a simple two-compartment model simulating the total surface runoff volume. The simulations showed stemflow combined with the agronomical practice of furrowing has an effect on runoff compared to bare soil. A relative increase in surface runoff volume of three-fold was encountered on a plot with a fully developed banana and a infiltration rate of 60 mm h 1 . However, the absolute increase was only a few percentage of the incident rainfall volume, although it represented large water volumes given the tropical rains. These features must be taken into account for hydrological management of such systems.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on handwashing as an inexpensive, widely applicable response measure. In consequence, most governments have taken action to promote access to water and sanitation services for all. This paper documents an overview of initiatives and interventions that countries have implemented during the first months of the COVID-19 response. Initiatives have been identified across 84 countries worldwide, and categorized into those that aimed at securing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for all, and those that sought to provide technical and financial support to service providers. The pandemic has not hit countries in the same way. Accordingly, results show disparities in the response between and within regions, with the level of activity found in the countries varying largely in terms of ambition and scope. Hygiene promotion and infection prevention and control (IPC) has been widely adopted – at least one response measure found in 94% of mapped countries -, although not always matched in ambition with the assured availability of soap, water, and handwashing facilities. Support to vulnerable households to promote basic access to WASH services at scale was weak (38% of countries) or implemented locally (25%), and requiring additional focus, particularly in rural areas and small towns. In addition, parallel support needs to be extended to service providers or to households themselves in the form of cash transfers, in order to ensure the financial viability and the continuity of services. All lessons learned distilled from the pandemic should help strengthen the enabling environment for more resilient services in future emergencies. Areas for focus could include developing specific pandemic response strategies and plans; strengthening coordination; and establishing emergency financial support mechanisms for water operators, for example. Overall, findings presented herein contribute to enhance current and future pandemics prevention, mitigation, and recovery.

The inclusion of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in non-household settings in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) elicits the need for data to track progress over time. This review focuses on schools and health care facilities, and seeks to: (1) assess the availability of SDG baseline data for ten case study countries; (2) evaluate the extent to which existing national data allow monitoring against the SDG criteria; and (3) identify opportunities to improve the availability and quality of data for SDG monitoring. While none of the ten countries could provide all of the data needed to establish comprehensive SDG baselines, every country had information on at least some of the indicators. Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) currently provide the majority of national data on WASH in schools and, in many cases, could be aligned with the SDG criteria with only minor changes. Far fewer data are available for health care facilities. Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) provide a potential entry point for national monitoring. However, where HMIS are administered monthly, annual data collection instruments, such as facility inventory surveys, may be more appropriate. These findings have implications for monitoring WASH in other settings, such as workplaces and prisons.