The number of people on Earth, where they live, and how they live all affect the condition of the environment. Changes in environmental conditions, in turn, can affect human health and well-being. Human demographic dynamics, such as the size, growth, distribution, age composition, and migration of populations, are among the many factors that can lead to environmental change. The precise impact of a given change depends on the interplay among all these factors, but it is clear that demographic change can affect the environment.
HIV/AIDS is one of those diseases which can change on demographic pattern as well as can change various types of Environment. Approximately 39.5 million people around the world were living with HIV/AIDS in 2006. Of these, almost two thirds were in sub-Saharan Africa. The same year, an estimated 2.9 million AIDS-related deaths occurred globally. The number of people living with HIV continues to rise around the world especially in Africa, parts of Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and South, Southeast, Central and East Asia, with prime age adults being affected most (UNAIDS 2006a). HIV/AIDS has rapidly become one of the major problems, particularly in poor countries. It is shown that it is primarily increasing difficulties in making sustainable use of natural resources when time, energy and money must be used to relieve the effects of ill health and when labour is tragically lost. At the same time various forms of environmental degradation affect the general health status of people and increase their vulnerability. When HIV/AIDS is added to the list, there is a danger that people cannot make a living any more.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Changing climate and deterioration of environmental health
CLIMATE change refers to any significant change in measures of climate. Potential effects of this climate change are likely to include more variable weather, stronger and longer heat waves, more frequent heavy precipitation events, more frequent and severe droughts, extreme weather events such as flooding and tropical cyclones, rises in sea level, and increased air pollution. Other effects may result from ecosystem shifting and disruption.
Climate change is an emerging risk factor for human health. According to the third assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, ‘Climate change can affect human health directly (e.g. impacts of thermal stress, death/injury in floods and storms) and indirectly through changes in the ranges of disease vectors, waterborne pathogens, water quality, air quality, and food availability and quality. The actual health impacts will be strongly influenced by local environmental conditions and socio-economic circumstances, and by the range of social, institutional, technological, and behavioural adaptations taken to reduce the full range of threats to health.’
Broadly, a change in climatic conditions can have three kinds of health impacts: those that are relatively direct, usually caused by weather extremes; the health consequences of various processes of environmental change and ecological disruption that occur in response to climate change; and the diverse health consequences – traumatic, infectious, nutritional, psychological and other that occur in demoralised and displaced populations in the wake of climate-induced economic dislocation, environmental decline, and conflict situations.
Climatic changes over recent decades have probably already affected some health outcomes. The World Health Organisation estimated, in its World Health Report 2002, that climate change was estimated to be responsible in 2000 for approximately 2.4 per cent of worldwide diarrhoea, and 6 per cent of malaria in some middle-income countries. Marked short-term fluctuations in weather can cause acute adverse health effects: extremes of both heat and cold can cause potentially fatal illnesses, e.g. heat stress or hypothermia, as well as increasing death rates from heart and respiratory diseases. In cities, stagnant weather conditions can trap both warm air and air pollutants – leading to smog episodes with significant health impacts. These effects can be significant. Abnormally high temperatures in Europe in the summer of 2003 were associated with at least 27,000 more deaths than the equivalent period in previous years. Other weather extremes, such as heavy rains, floods, and hurricanes, also have severe impacts on health.
Approximately 600,000 deaths occurred worldwide as a result of weather-related natural disasters in the 1990s; and some 95 per cent of these were in poor countries. To a large extent, a changing climate is likely to affect public health which depends on safe drinking water, sufficient food, secure shelter, and good social conditions. Reviews of the likely impacts of climate change by the IPCC suggest that a warming climate is likely to bring some localised benefits but overall the health effects of a rapidly changing climate are likely to be overwhelmingly negative, particularly in the poorest communities, which have contributed least to greenhouse gas emissions.
Recent analyses show that human-induced climate change significantly increased the likelihood of the European summer heat wave of 2003; more variable precipitation patterns are likely to compromise the supply of freshwater, increasing risks of water-borne disease. Rising temperatures and variable precipitation are likely to decrease the production of staple foods in many of the poorest regions, increasing risks of malnutrition. Rising sea levels increase the risk of coastal flooding, and may necessitate population displacement. More than half of the world’s population now lives within 60km of the sea. Some of the most vulnerable regions are the Nile delta in Egypt, the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh, and many small islands, such as the Maldives. Changes in climate are likely to lengthen the transmission seasons of important vector-borne diseases, and to alter their geographic range, potentially bringing them to regions which lack either population immunity or a strong public health infrastructure.
Heat exposure has a range of health effects, from mild heat rashes to deadly heat stroke. Heat exposure can also worsen several chronic diseases, including cardiovascular and respiratory disease. The results can be severe and result in both increased illness and death. Heat also increases ground-level ozone concentrations, causing direct lung injury and increasing the severity of respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The direct effects of extreme weather events include drowning from floods, injuries from floods, and structural collapse. Potential indirect effects include aggravation of chronic diseases due to interruptions in healthcare service, significant mental health concerns both from interrupted care and geographic displacement, and socioeconomic disruption resulting from population displacement and infrastructure loss.
Air quality is highly affected by weather and climate conditions. In turn, certain aspects of air quality are known to affect health. Ozone causes direct, reversible lung injury; increases premature mortality; worsens respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and may cause chronic lung damage. Storms and extreme precipitation events have several direct health effects. Extreme precipitation events are associated with outbreaks of gastrointestinal disease.
Heat waves are already the most deadly weather-related exposure in the US. Studies suggest that, if current emissions hold steady, excess heat-related deaths in the US could go up from an average of about 700 each year currently, to between 3,000 and 5,000 per year by 2050. Climate is one of many variables known to affect the rates of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases such as vector mosquito species, which spread malaria and viral diseases such as dengue and yellow fever. Malaria, today, is mostly confined to tropical and subtropical regions. The disease’s sensitivity to climate is illustrated by desert and highland border areas where higher temperatures and rainfall associated with El Niño may increase transmission of malaria. Dengue is the most important arboviral disease of humans particularly in urban settings. Between 1970 and 1995, the annual number of dengue epidemics in the South Pacific was positively correlated with La Niña conditions (i.e. warmer and wetter). In the tropics diarrhoeal diseases typically peak during the rainy season. Both floods and droughts increase the risk of diarrhoeal diseases. Major causes of diarrhoea linked to heavy rainfall and contaminated water supplies are: cholera, cryptosporidium, E.coliinfection, giardia, shigella, typhoid, and viruses such as hepatitis A.
Various analyses have shown that health impacts are often the largest single contributor to the costs of environmental damages. The government’s health authorities should undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the possible health implications of such changes and need to determine priorities for planning and decision-making. The health sector should be involved jointly with agricultural, meteorological, environmental, and planning agencies to ensure that health considerations are given adequate weight. But not only for these individual awareness is also needed such as lifestyle change, behavioural change, efficient use of energy, etc.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Water crisis-A crucial issue to concern
Water pervades all aspects of human development and human freedom. Water security is an integral part of this broader conception of human security. In broad terms water security is about ensuring that every person has reliable access to enough safe water at an affordable price to lead a healthy, dignified and productive life, while maintaining the ecological systems that provide water and also depend on water. When these conditions are not met, or when access to water is disrupted, people face acute human security risks transmitted through poor health and the disruption of livelihoods and vulnerability. While the world's population tripled in the 20th century, the use of renewable water resources has grown six-fold. Within the next fifty years, the world population will increase by another 40 to 50 %. This population growth - coupled with industrialization and urbanization - will result in an increasing demand for water and will have serious consequences on the environment.
Worldwide, over a billion people do not have access to safe drinking water, and approximately one-third of the world's population lives under water stress. Water stress results from an imbalance between water use and water resources. Water stress causes deterioration of fresh water resources in terms of quantity (aquifer over-exploitation, dry rivers, etc.) and quality (eutrophication, organic matter pollution, saline intrusion, etc.) Humans use water in many ways, and we typically classify water use by three major use groups: agriculture, industry, and urban use. These are generally considered the three principal consumers of water, with most water consumed by agriculture for the production of food. However, there is also a fourth group; ecosystems also have water needs and requirements. Each river and lake requires a certain amount of water to continue to exist, and plants and animals require water for their survival too. This fourth need is often overlooked as we work to meet the immediate day-to-day water needs of humankind. However, its importance is becoming apparent as rivers are suffering from reduced flow or no flow before they reach the ocean, and fresh water dependent ecosystems are being compromised. Ultimately, our sustainable future on Earth is linked to the health of Earth's ecosystems.
Currently, per capita availability of freshwater is decreasing and contaminated water is still the greatest environmental cause of human sickness and death. Water resources are being threatened by increased consumption, increased pollution, and increasing population. These threats are likely to become worse during our lifetimes and those of our children. Specifically, we will have to be concerned about:
Surface water and groundwater availability
Surface water and groundwater quality
Water related diseases
Water availability for irrigation and food production
Water for urban use, drinking, and sanitation
Water for industry, to make the things we need
Damming of rivers: the benefits versus the ecological and human costs Changing climate/weather patterns
International problems/violence caused by water stress and water-related ecosystem damage By 2025, two-thirds of the world's people are expected to be living in water stressed countries. Most of these people will live in Asia and Africa where water-related diseases are endemic and increase every year. Over 5 million people now die annually from water related diseases such as diarrhea, malaria, and schistosomiasis (bilharzia). In addition, trachoma, a highly contagious eye disease, blinds many more. Population growth creates an obvious threat to what little remaining water is left for human use. Africa and Asia are currently the most water stressed areas, and since these two continents also have the greatest population growth, their already severe water stress will likely continue to increase. This explosion of water stress will be caused by increased personal water usage as a result of a 40 percent population growth in these countries, increased water use in irrigation for food production (17 percent), and increased water use in industrial production.
Global economic growth is both expected and hoped for because poverty is rife across the world, but under current trends, economic growth, coupled with population growth, will lead to drastic increases in the demand for natural resources, including water. Growth in agriculture, industries and energy producers will greatly increase water demand. In addition, as people's standard of living increases, they tend to use more water in dishwashers, washing machines, swimming pools, car washes, etc. The resulting competition for water could be devastating for many people. Since the 1990s, international efforts to improve water policy have increased, especially through growing recognition of the social and economic value of water. Water councils and global organizations are meeting and passing resolutions to protect water resources. The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) set such resolutions at the Second World Water Forum in 2000. The Vision sets out targets:
(1) to cut "the proportion of people without access to hygienic sanitation" in half by 2015; (2) to cut "the proportion of people without access to adequate quantities of affordable and safe water" in half by 2015; and (3) to "provide water, sanitation and hygiene for all" by 2025.
In 1998, the International Network of Basin Organizations met and emphasized the need to (1) facilitate the exchange of accurate and harmonized information among riverine countries; (2) promote consultation at all levels, especially within pertinent international institutions and mechanisms; (3) and define medium-range priority action programs of common interest to improve water management and decrease pollution. In the 2000 Ministerial Declaration on Water Security in the 21st Century, the environmental ministers from several countries met and set out a declaration on water needs in the new millennium: (1) to meet the needs of people who lack access to safe water and sanitation, (2) to secure the water supply for food, (3) to protect ecosystems with sustainable water resources, (4) to share water resources among bordering countries including the correct governing of water, (5) to value water, and (6) to manage future risks regarding water (World Water Forum 2000).
Technology has also been developed to conserve water through drip irrigation and low flow toilets. In theory, farmers can change irrigation practices and each of us can change our daily domestic water needs, but the technology is often too expensive or otherwise not available for those who need it most.
Worldwide, over a billion people do not have access to safe drinking water, and approximately one-third of the world's population lives under water stress. Water stress results from an imbalance between water use and water resources. Water stress causes deterioration of fresh water resources in terms of quantity (aquifer over-exploitation, dry rivers, etc.) and quality (eutrophication, organic matter pollution, saline intrusion, etc.) Humans use water in many ways, and we typically classify water use by three major use groups: agriculture, industry, and urban use. These are generally considered the three principal consumers of water, with most water consumed by agriculture for the production of food. However, there is also a fourth group; ecosystems also have water needs and requirements. Each river and lake requires a certain amount of water to continue to exist, and plants and animals require water for their survival too. This fourth need is often overlooked as we work to meet the immediate day-to-day water needs of humankind. However, its importance is becoming apparent as rivers are suffering from reduced flow or no flow before they reach the ocean, and fresh water dependent ecosystems are being compromised. Ultimately, our sustainable future on Earth is linked to the health of Earth's ecosystems.
Currently, per capita availability of freshwater is decreasing and contaminated water is still the greatest environmental cause of human sickness and death. Water resources are being threatened by increased consumption, increased pollution, and increasing population. These threats are likely to become worse during our lifetimes and those of our children. Specifically, we will have to be concerned about:
Surface water and groundwater availability
Surface water and groundwater quality
Water related diseases
Water availability for irrigation and food production
Water for urban use, drinking, and sanitation
Water for industry, to make the things we need
Damming of rivers: the benefits versus the ecological and human costs Changing climate/weather patterns
International problems/violence caused by water stress and water-related ecosystem damage By 2025, two-thirds of the world's people are expected to be living in water stressed countries. Most of these people will live in Asia and Africa where water-related diseases are endemic and increase every year. Over 5 million people now die annually from water related diseases such as diarrhea, malaria, and schistosomiasis (bilharzia). In addition, trachoma, a highly contagious eye disease, blinds many more. Population growth creates an obvious threat to what little remaining water is left for human use. Africa and Asia are currently the most water stressed areas, and since these two continents also have the greatest population growth, their already severe water stress will likely continue to increase. This explosion of water stress will be caused by increased personal water usage as a result of a 40 percent population growth in these countries, increased water use in irrigation for food production (17 percent), and increased water use in industrial production.
Global economic growth is both expected and hoped for because poverty is rife across the world, but under current trends, economic growth, coupled with population growth, will lead to drastic increases in the demand for natural resources, including water. Growth in agriculture, industries and energy producers will greatly increase water demand. In addition, as people's standard of living increases, they tend to use more water in dishwashers, washing machines, swimming pools, car washes, etc. The resulting competition for water could be devastating for many people. Since the 1990s, international efforts to improve water policy have increased, especially through growing recognition of the social and economic value of water. Water councils and global organizations are meeting and passing resolutions to protect water resources. The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) set such resolutions at the Second World Water Forum in 2000. The Vision sets out targets:
(1) to cut "the proportion of people without access to hygienic sanitation" in half by 2015; (2) to cut "the proportion of people without access to adequate quantities of affordable and safe water" in half by 2015; and (3) to "provide water, sanitation and hygiene for all" by 2025.
In 1998, the International Network of Basin Organizations met and emphasized the need to (1) facilitate the exchange of accurate and harmonized information among riverine countries; (2) promote consultation at all levels, especially within pertinent international institutions and mechanisms; (3) and define medium-range priority action programs of common interest to improve water management and decrease pollution. In the 2000 Ministerial Declaration on Water Security in the 21st Century, the environmental ministers from several countries met and set out a declaration on water needs in the new millennium: (1) to meet the needs of people who lack access to safe water and sanitation, (2) to secure the water supply for food, (3) to protect ecosystems with sustainable water resources, (4) to share water resources among bordering countries including the correct governing of water, (5) to value water, and (6) to manage future risks regarding water (World Water Forum 2000).
Technology has also been developed to conserve water through drip irrigation and low flow toilets. In theory, farmers can change irrigation practices and each of us can change our daily domestic water needs, but the technology is often too expensive or otherwise not available for those who need it most.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
In search of safe water
PEOPLE need clean water and sanitation to maintain their health. Water also sustains ecological systems and provides an input into the production systems that maintain livelihoods. Water security is an integral part of a broader conception of human security.
In broad terms, water security means ensuring that every person has access to enough safe water to lead a healthy life, while maintaining the ecological systems that provide water and also depend on water.
When water security is absent, people suffer from poor health and the disruption of livelihoods. Some 2.6 billion people -- half the developing world's population -- do not have access to basic sanitation, and underreporting means that these figures understate the problem. "Not having access" to water and sanitation is a polite euphemism for a form of deprivation that threatens life, destroys opportunity and undermines human dignity.
Deprivation of water and sanitation has many bad effects. Some of those are:
-Some 1.8 million child deaths each year are a result of diarrhoea -- 4,900 deaths everyday, or an under-five population equal to that of London and New York combined. Deaths from diarrhoea in 2004 were some six times greater than the average annual deaths in armed conflicts for the 1990s. Together, unclean water and poor sanitation are the second biggest killers of children.
-The loss of 443 million school days each year from water-related illness.
-Close to half of all people in developing countries suffering at any given time from a health problem caused by water and sanitation deficits.
-Millions of women spending several hours a day collecting water.
-Water insecurity inflicts millions of people with illness, and lost educational opportunities in childhood leading to poverty in adulthood.
At the beginning of the "Water for Life" decade, 1.1 billion people did not have access to clean drinking water, 84% of who lived in rural areas. 2.6 billion people, more than 40% of the world population, do not use a toilet.
In 2004, more than three out of every five rural people did not have access to basic sanitation facility. If the current trend persists, nearly 1.7 billion rural dwellers will still not have access to improved sanitation by 2015.
Bangladesh has a population of about 144 million, of whom 40% are under the poverty line. An estimate puts the total population at 181 million by 2025, with 41% living in the urban areas -- nearly half of them will be poor and without services.
In Bangladesh, up to 40% of overall morbidity is due to water and sanitation related disease in some communities. In the year 2000, 12.1% DALYS were lost due to diarrhoeal diseases, and 90% of these were attributable to environmental causes of which 65% could be averted through improvement in water supply, sanitation (latrines, drainage, rubbish disposal) and hygiene awareness. Diarrhoeal diseases, due to water pollution, lack of hygiene, and poor sanitation account for 11% of total deaths in Bangladesh.
The most alarming fact is that hygiene-related diseases costs the country, Tk. 500 crore per year for treatment alone. According to the Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authorities, the groundwater table -- the source of drinking water for one-third of this city's 10 million people -- has become contaminated with harmful bacteria.
Bangladesh is grappling with the largest mass poisoning of a population in history because groundwater used for drinking has been contaminated with naturally occurring inorganic arsenic. It is estimated that of the 125 million inhabitants of Bangladesh between 35 million and 77 million are at risk of drinking contaminated water.
Arsenic in groundwater poses a great challenge to the water supply in the country. Since its detection in 1993, various organisations have been screening tube wells for arsenic contamination. The most contaminated areas lie in the districts of Chandpur, Comilla, Noakhali, Munshiganj, Faridpur, Madaripur, Gopalganj, Shariatpur and Satkhira.
Excessive levels have also been found in other regions. Arsenic-contaminated drinking water is a public health emergency. Exposure to arsenic from drinking water increases the risk of skin, lung and bladder cancer.
WHO has predicted that in most of the southern part of Bangladesh almost 1 in every 10 adult deaths in the next decade will be a result of cancer triggered by arsenic poisoning. From the experience of Taiwan it has been forecasted that almost two million of people are at risk of developing cancer in the coming decades.
Each day of continued exposure increases the risk of morbidity and death. Unlike other major health problems experienced in Bangladesh, arsenic-caused diseases can be eradicated at relatively low cost.
Safe water and sanitation are basic necessities, so we must ensure their availability, not only for the present but also for the future.
Find my this article on: http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=47693
In broad terms, water security means ensuring that every person has access to enough safe water to lead a healthy life, while maintaining the ecological systems that provide water and also depend on water.
When water security is absent, people suffer from poor health and the disruption of livelihoods. Some 2.6 billion people -- half the developing world's population -- do not have access to basic sanitation, and underreporting means that these figures understate the problem. "Not having access" to water and sanitation is a polite euphemism for a form of deprivation that threatens life, destroys opportunity and undermines human dignity.
Deprivation of water and sanitation has many bad effects. Some of those are:
-Some 1.8 million child deaths each year are a result of diarrhoea -- 4,900 deaths everyday, or an under-five population equal to that of London and New York combined. Deaths from diarrhoea in 2004 were some six times greater than the average annual deaths in armed conflicts for the 1990s. Together, unclean water and poor sanitation are the second biggest killers of children.
-The loss of 443 million school days each year from water-related illness.
-Close to half of all people in developing countries suffering at any given time from a health problem caused by water and sanitation deficits.
-Millions of women spending several hours a day collecting water.
-Water insecurity inflicts millions of people with illness, and lost educational opportunities in childhood leading to poverty in adulthood.
At the beginning of the "Water for Life" decade, 1.1 billion people did not have access to clean drinking water, 84% of who lived in rural areas. 2.6 billion people, more than 40% of the world population, do not use a toilet.
In 2004, more than three out of every five rural people did not have access to basic sanitation facility. If the current trend persists, nearly 1.7 billion rural dwellers will still not have access to improved sanitation by 2015.
Bangladesh has a population of about 144 million, of whom 40% are under the poverty line. An estimate puts the total population at 181 million by 2025, with 41% living in the urban areas -- nearly half of them will be poor and without services.
In Bangladesh, up to 40% of overall morbidity is due to water and sanitation related disease in some communities. In the year 2000, 12.1% DALYS were lost due to diarrhoeal diseases, and 90% of these were attributable to environmental causes of which 65% could be averted through improvement in water supply, sanitation (latrines, drainage, rubbish disposal) and hygiene awareness. Diarrhoeal diseases, due to water pollution, lack of hygiene, and poor sanitation account for 11% of total deaths in Bangladesh.
The most alarming fact is that hygiene-related diseases costs the country, Tk. 500 crore per year for treatment alone. According to the Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authorities, the groundwater table -- the source of drinking water for one-third of this city's 10 million people -- has become contaminated with harmful bacteria.
Bangladesh is grappling with the largest mass poisoning of a population in history because groundwater used for drinking has been contaminated with naturally occurring inorganic arsenic. It is estimated that of the 125 million inhabitants of Bangladesh between 35 million and 77 million are at risk of drinking contaminated water.
Arsenic in groundwater poses a great challenge to the water supply in the country. Since its detection in 1993, various organisations have been screening tube wells for arsenic contamination. The most contaminated areas lie in the districts of Chandpur, Comilla, Noakhali, Munshiganj, Faridpur, Madaripur, Gopalganj, Shariatpur and Satkhira.
Excessive levels have also been found in other regions. Arsenic-contaminated drinking water is a public health emergency. Exposure to arsenic from drinking water increases the risk of skin, lung and bladder cancer.
WHO has predicted that in most of the southern part of Bangladesh almost 1 in every 10 adult deaths in the next decade will be a result of cancer triggered by arsenic poisoning. From the experience of Taiwan it has been forecasted that almost two million of people are at risk of developing cancer in the coming decades.
Each day of continued exposure increases the risk of morbidity and death. Unlike other major health problems experienced in Bangladesh, arsenic-caused diseases can be eradicated at relatively low cost.
Safe water and sanitation are basic necessities, so we must ensure their availability, not only for the present but also for the future.
Find my this article on: http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=47693
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