Public Health Practice Report: water supply and sanitation in Chukotka and Yakutia, Russian Arctic

Abstract

Information from 2013–2015 have been analysed on water accessibility, types of water service to households, use of water pretreatment, availability of sewerage, use of sewage treatment in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and Yakutia Republic, based on evaluation information accessible in open sources, such as regional statistics and sanitary-epidemiologic reports. The main causes of the poor state of water supply and sanitation in the study regions include: very limited access to in-home running water (one-quarter of settlements in Chukotka and half of settlements in Yakutia have no regular water supply) and lack of centralised sewerage (78% and 94% of settlements correspondingly have no sewerage); lack of water pretreatment and sewage treatment, outdated technologies and systems; serious deterioration of facilities and networks, frequent accidents; secondary pollution of drinking water. Lack of open objective information on Russian Arctic water supply and sanitation in the materials of the regional and federal statistics hampers the assessment of the real state of affairs. The situation for water and sanitation supply in these Russian Arctic regions remains steadily unfavourable. A comprehensive intervention from national and regional governmental levels is urgently needed.

Rural Alaska Water Treatment and Distribution Systems Incur High Energy Costs: Identifying Energy Drivers Using Panel Data Analysis for 78 Communities

“…Such observations extend not only to rural regions outside of Alaska but also to the urban fringe globally . Across the US, clusters of communities lack sustainable access to in-home water services, including those at the Texas–Mexico border (the Colonias), the Navajo Nation, and the Appalachian region. , And beyond the US, there are several remote Arctic communities in Canada, , Greenland, and Russia that also face similar water access and water security challenges. Overall, this work presents a framework that can be used in other water-insecure regions in the U.S. and beyond to assess drivers of residential water costs to provide a comparative benchmark and to help identify factors that can drive policy.…”

Domestic water supply in rural Greenland – sufficiency, affordability and accessibility

“…It is well documented that limited water access and degraded infrastructure pose health risks for communities, in particular respiratory illnesses and skin infections [ 12 , 35–41 ], as well as mental health issues [ 8 , 42 , 43 ]. The numerous examples include high rates of lower respiratory infections in Alaskan villages without in-home water services [ 11 , 44 ], the case of Chukotka, Russia, where ageing infrastructure is suspected of exposing the population to waterborne diseases [ 9 ], and mental stress documented in Canada in relation to the burden of hauling enough water to provide for the needs of families [ 45 ]. Limited water quantities have also been found to lead to the deterioration of water quality in household water storage, previously documented by Wright et al [ 22 ] in similar settings in Canada, and the use of shared basins for handwashing, documented in Alaska by Chambers et al [ 46 ], a practice that could create a transmission route for pathogens.…”

“…Additionally, the cost incurred due to old and degrading infrastructure is adding to the challenge in various parts of the Arctic [ 6 , 8 ]. Notably, in Yakutia, Russia, an estimated 75% of centralised water supplies are in need of replacement [ 9 ]. Cost logically affects the amount of water used, and instances have been observed in Alaska of users choosing to disconnect from the water supply because of high water fees [ 6 , 10 ].…”

A Tale of Two Communities: Adopting and Paying for an In-Home Non-Potable Water Reuse System in Rural Alaska

“…The reuse system and findings of this study are relevant outside of Alaska. More than 1.7 million homes in Arctic and remote regions of Russia, Greenland, and Canada , lack access to in-home water services partially because of the extremely high capital costs for centralized systems . In these communities, funding an in-home reuse system could be more affordable than traditional systems.…”