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

Water sources, infrastructure, space and the dynamics of environmental diseases in Saboba District: Using GISTable 26: Household main fuel for cookingSource: 2000 Population and Housing Census, Ghana Statistical Service (2005b)PlaceType of fuel for cookingSaboba districtNorthern RegionWood 93.2 83.7Charcoal 3.5 11.7Kerosene 2.5 1.3L.P.G 0.3 1.0Electricity 0.1 0.7No cooking 0.2 1.4Other 0.3 0.1Table 27: Main method of waste disposal. Source: Ghana 2003 Core WelfareIndicators Questionnaire (CWIQ II) Survey Report (Aug, 2005c)Quality of the method Method Saboba district GhanaCollected 1.3 6.0Improved methodPublic dump 6.8 59.9Total 8.0 65.9Burned by household 3.1 7.5Dump elsewhere 79.6 23.2Unimproved method Buried by household 9.3 3.1Other - 0.2Total 92.0 34.1This section concludes that both the lack of and inappropriateconstruction of infrastructural facilities may explain the high incidencesof water related diseases in Saboba district. The infrastructuralconstructions such as houses, roads, gutters etc have left a great numberof dugout pits which serve as reservoir for breeding mosquitoes duringrainy season when filled with water. The ineffectiveness of the pipewater supply have also left the inhabitants with no feasible option thanto use these dugout pits as sources of water, with greater health risks.Burning of mosquito coil and RTI: The Local caseMosquito coils and burning of plant matter are widely used in thedistrict. While sleeping with a burning mosquito coil in the room maynot be pleasant, but however, if the option is to do nothing and beingbitten by mosquitoes or sleep in a stuffy mosquito net, many people inSaboba district, and Ghana as a whole, opt for the coil as the lesser ofthe three evils. There is no exact conclusion on the effects of burningmosquito coils on human health, and I am certainly not equipped withknowledge in epidemiology to be drawn into this argument. However,considering the amount of smoke emission and the type of housing (withsmall or no window at all), mosquito coils may pose more danger for theoccurrence of RTI in the district. Furthermore, some of the mosquitocoils have not pass through the Food and Drugs Board (FDB – agencychecking on quality of products for human use) and therefore theirefficacy and quality cannot be guaranteed. The worse case is for thosewho burn dried plants matter (leaves, stems etc) in their rooms (whilesleeping in it at the same time) in order to produce smoke to drive awaymosquitoes. Though, FDB often denounces some of the illegal mosquitocoils, the high illiteracy rates in the district and the inadequate access tocommunication facilities such as Televisions and radios have putinhabitants in the Saboba district, and other similar areas, into a positionwhere they continue to use banned products (mosquito coils). The laxityof enforcement agencies is also part of this problem. This researchtherefore challenges experts in health fields to undertake specificresearch on the effects of mosquito coils on users’ health in the district.51