water sources, infrastructure, space and the dynamics of ...

Water sources, infrastructure, space and the dynamics of environmental diseases in Saboba District: Using GISPressing Environmental Problems in Saboba DistrictTable 9 shows the most pressing environmental problems in the districtfrom the results of the questionnaire. The most ranked ones (five) arecompared and analysed. In general, the pressing environmental problemsin Saboba District include free-range defecation, lack of clean/treatedwater, bushfires, presence of stagnant water and littered environment.However, what is considered the most pressing environmental problemsin each specific area differs. Ranking them in Central Township depictspoor drainage at the top; bushfires, free-range defecation, lack ofclean/treated water and presence of stagnant water follows in that order.Free-range defecation, bushfires (same level as 1 st ), lack of clean/treatedwater, littered environment (same level as 3 rd ) and presence of stagnantwater are the environmental problems in Toma, while Chief-section haslack of clean water, bushfires, free-range defecation, deforestation andland degradation. Free-range defecation, presence of stagnant water,weedy environment and littered environment are ranked in Bordagbalm,and lack of clean/treated water, free-range defecation, water shortages,poor drainage and bushfires in Wapuli. There is no clear differencebetween the various environmental problems in each particular place.Gender and Environmental Diseases in Saboba DistrictTable 10 shows very high illiteracy rate in the district for both men(73.7%) and women (81.3%), with a total average of 77.5%, which ishigher than the regional and national averages of 72.3% and 38%respectively. Also, more males get educated than females due to thestereotype roles of woman in the district as being mainly householdchores and child bearing and caring. Lower education of women andother issues mentioned in the conceptual framework may be at work inputting women at risks to these environmental diseases.Figure 6 and appendix IIIa depict that women are disproportionatelyaffected by water related diseases, as more than half (54.2%) of thepeople treated with water related diseases in Saboba Medical Centre(SMC) were women compared to 45.8% for men. However, for otherdiseases, a sharp reverse is the case as 54.5% were men and 45.5% beingwomen. The explanation is that generally, more men have access to thedefence mechanisms listed in the conceptual framework of this study(Fig. 2), due to their control of resources and power in the family.Therefore, women higher percentage (54.2%) of water related diseasesclearly shows that they are largely affected by these diseases than theirmen counterparts. Also, more women (54.5%) than men (45.5%)reported with RTI, owning to the fact that more women are exposed toenvironmental hazards (e.g. cooking with firewood) than men. The tablealso shows that 67.3% of Genital and Sexually Transmitted Infections(STIs) were women and only 32.7% being men. This confirms the widelyheld view that more women than men are suffering from HIV/AIDSand other STIs (Oppong, 1998 p.1) due to their vulnerability. A medicaland psychological research is needed to determine why more womenthan men get hypertension.Data from WHC (Fig. 7 and appendix III b), just like in SMC, show thatwomen formed 51.5% of cases of water related diseases such as Malariaand Onchocerciasis and 48.5% for men. For other diseases such asHepatitis, Anaemia, Yaws and Epilepsy, a sharp contrast occurred with57.9% being men and 42.1% women. Again, women (60%) predominatein Genital and STIs as against 40.0% men. Also, 52.6% and 63.2%women and 47.8% and 36.8% men reported on RTI and Pneumoniarespectively. The analysis shows that water related diseases such as23