Innovative Research Approaches to Cope with Water Security in Africa

Miguel, Ángel de; Froebrich, J.; Jaouani, Atef; Souissi, Yasmine; Elmahdi, Amgad; Mateo-Sagasta, Javier; Al-Hamdi, Mohamed I.; Frascari, Dario

doi:10.1002/ieam.4337

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 11 publications

(3 reference statements)

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“…The next dominant factor is policy and governance with 26% of papers covering it. It is evident especially from developing countries that poor policy and governance leads to water insecurity whether it is related to wastewater management in a city [2], or that poor policy related to water security based on time and distance to fetch water, often lead to stress and anxiety [33]. The fifth dimension is the ecosystem which appeared in 25% of the reviewed papers.…”

Section: Water Security Dimensionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nexus between Water Security Framework and Public Health: A Comprehensive Scientific Review

Paudel

Kumar

Dasgupta

et al. 2021

Water

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Water scarcity, together with the projected impacts of water stress worldwide, has led to a rapid increase in research on measuring water security. However, water security has been conceptualized under different perspectives, including various aspects and dimensions. Since public health is also an integral part of water security, it is necessary to understand how health has been incorporated as a dimension in the existing water security frameworks. While supply–demand and governance narratives dominated several popular water security frameworks, studies that are specifically designed for public health purposes are generally lacking. This research aims to address this gap, firstly by assessing the multiple thematic dimensions of water security frameworks in scientific disclosure; and secondly by looking into the public health dimensions and evaluating their importance and integration in the existing water security frameworks. For this, a systematic review of the Scopus database was undertaken using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A detailed review analysis of 77 relevant papers was performed. The result shows that 11 distinct dimensions have been used to design the existing water security framework. Although public health aspects were mentioned in 51% of the papers, direct health impacts were considered only by 18%, and indirect health impacts or mediators were considered by 33% of the papers. Among direct health impacts, diarrhea is the most prevalent one considered for developing a water security framework. Among different indirect or mediating factors, poor accessibility and availability of water resources in terms of time and distance is a big determinant for causing mental illnesses, such as stress or anxiety, which are being considered when framing water security framework, particularly in developing nations. Water quantity is more of a common issue for both developed and developing countries, water quality and mismanagement of water supply-related infrastructure is the main concern for developing nations, which proved to be the biggest hurdle for achieving water security. It is also necessary to consider how people treat and consume the water available to them. The result of this study sheds light on existing gaps for different water security frameworks and provides policy-relevant guidelines for its betterment. Also, it stressed that a more wide and holistic approach must be considered when framing a water security framework to result in sustainable water management and human well-being.

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Section: Water Security Dimensionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nexus between Water Security Framework and Public Health: A Comprehensive Scientific Review

Paudel

Kumar

Dasgupta

et al. 2021

Water

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Examination of the Cameroon DHS data to investigate how water access and sanitation services are related to diarrhea and nutrition among infants and toddlers in rural households

Dharod

Nounkeu

Paynter

et al. 2021

Journal of Water and Health

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Undernutrition among children is a significant issue in rural areas in Cameroon, with diarrhea being one of the major contributing risk factors. To gain a better understanding of the risk factors of diarrhea, the main objective of this epidemiological study was to examine associations between water access and sanitation service with diarrhea, diet diversity, and anemia among infants and toddlers in rural households in Cameroon. The study involved household- and individual-level data of 2,129 rural-dwelling infants and toddlers from the Demographic and Health Survey database. About one-third of infants and toddlers were experiencing diarrhea, with higher odds among those who lived in households with limited water service (p = 0.028). The odds of having diarrhea were 50% higher among infants and toddlers when households did not have sanitation facilities (p = 0.007). The lack of improved water and sanitation was also associated with a low intake of various food groups among older infants and toddlers. The prevalence of anemia was high, but no significant differences were seen by water and sanitation services. The achievement of SDG #6 will help address undernutrition and achieve other SDGs, including improving health and wellbeing.

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Innovative Research Approaches to Cope with Water Security in Africa

Abstract: This article is part of the special series "Improving Water Security in Africa." The work is the culmination of 7 Horizon 2020 projects focused on the environmental and social challenges of improving water security in African countries.

Cited by 2 publications

References 11 publications

Nexus between Water Security Framework and Public Health: A Comprehensive Scientific Review

Nexus between Water Security Framework and Public Health: A Comprehensive Scientific Review

Examination of the Cameroon DHS data to investigate how water access and sanitation services are related to diarrhea and nutrition among infants and toddlers in rural households

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