Effective Use of Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage in Response to the 2010 Haiti Earthquake

Abstract

Abstract. When water supplies are compromised during an emergency, responders often recommend household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) methods, such as boiling or chlorination. We evaluated the near-and longerterm impact of chlorine and filter products distributed shortly after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. HWTS products were deemed as effective to use if they actually improved unsafe household drinking water to internationally accepted microbiological water quality standards. The acute emergency survey (442 households) was conducted within 8 weeks of emergency onset; the recovery survey (218 households) was conducted 10 months after onset. Effective use varied by HWTS product (from 8% to 63% of recipients in the acute phase and from 0% to 46% of recipients in the recovery phase). Higher rates of effective use were associated with programs that were underway in Haiti before the emergency, had a plan at initial distribution for program continuation, and distributed products with community health worker support and a safe storage container.

Access to Safe Water in Rural Artibonite, Haiti 16 Months after the Onset of the Cholera Epidemic

“…Although small-scale household water treatment projects and programs in Haiti have been operational for years,19 the reported use of household water treatment since the start of the cholera outbreak is considerably higher than before 20,21. However, important barriers for continuing HWTS promotion beyond emergency response were identified from this survey—namely, a lack of availability of water treatment products after emergency response activities had scaled back, a lack of understanding of correct use of products reportedly used, and a lack of understanding of the importance of consistent use of treated water.…”

Evaluating the Sustained Health Impact of Household Chlorination of Drinking Water in Rural Haiti

“…We did not modify our research protocol after the January 2010 earthquake because the research area was outside the affected area, although as mentioned previously, internally displaced persons did move into the area. However, one of the authors did conduct independent research on water treatment options distributed within the first eight weeks after the earthquake 20. DSI was the largest immediate water treatment responder to the earthquake; as of February 16, 2010, and DSI had reached 2,880 new families with safe storage containers and Aquatabs brand sodium dichloroisocyanurate chlorine tablets through a network of 165 CHW distributors in the Léogâne area, near the epicenter of the earthquake.…”

Short-term WASH interventions in emergency response: a systematic review

“…Authors of this report are also authors of several included evaluations in this review , Lantagne and Clasen 2013. As with all documents, we maintained the systematic review procedure as outlined in the protocol and ensured a review team member that was not a part of the three documents listed above also approved studies these studies for inclusion.…”

“…Most documents simply report that a certain volume of water was delivered each day for several weeks or months (Simpson, Bazezew Legesse, and Mubayiwa 2009, Pinera and Reed 2006, Beau De Rochars et al 2011, ElMahmid and Roussy 2009, Saltori and Giusti 2006, Neseni and Guzha 2009, Baker and Mbogha 2009, Patinet 2010, Martin 2011, with only two documents evaluating water quality of tanker trucks (Gupta andQuick 2006, Lantagne andClasen 2013) (Table 9). Unmonitored water trucking was also a concern in the Haiti earthquake response (Lantagne and Clasen 2013). In a review document not included in this review, high variation of FCR in water trucks was also noted in the 2004 Asian tsunami response; with under-dosing (0 mg/L) and severe over-dosing (6 mg/L) noted without further description ).…”

“…In South Sudan more than 92% of households reported receiving a household visit before the distribution and 82% reported that treating drinking water prevents cholera (ACF 2014c). In Haiti, treated water campaign had been operating in the area for several years with 75-82% of HH knowing the correct use of Aquatabs (Lantagne and Clasen 2013). Health impact was measured in one document after the typhoon/flooding in Bangladesh; a 55% diarrhea reduction was measured in children under five but was not significant (RR 0.45,) (Johnston 2008).…”