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

Matthew Biniyam KursahTRITA LWR Master Thesisenvironments, characterised by near-the-door-faeces, far-from-door-clean-water,uncontrolled sewage, presence of dugout pits, frequent interruption ofpipe water, poor waste disposal, poverty, illiteracy and ignorance. Thehigh use of woodfuel for cooking (also charcoal processing), and tosome extent the widespread of bushfires and the Harmattan,accompanied by dust, may explain the widespread of respiratory diseasesin the district, irrespective of geography. Due to the fewer number ofvehicles that ply the roads in the district and the nature of potholes onthe road (reduces speed), the emission of smoke and dust are generallyminimal, and therefore may have limited effects on the health (RTI) ofthe people. It is not surprising that the study did not find any significantrelationship between RTI and distance to roads in the district. Theintervention measures to reduce health burdens (malaria and otherdiseases) in the district must not target only settlements alongconventional watercourses (rivers, streams etc) but the entire district as awhole, with focus on eliminating potholes and stagnant water. This studyhighlights that issues of environment, specifically water and diseasesmust be treated multi-sectorial manner, including departments of;finance, health, sanitation, agriculture, animal husbandry and water; andabove all, a strong political will, since water is a right to life, and goodhealth a right to existence. The study finally concludes that the policy forthe district must accept that water has no substitute and could be the oilcrisis of 21 st century, and its inadequacy in quality could be devastating onthe health of the people. It must also be understood that the districtcannot solve the 21 st century water challenge with 20 th centurybureaucracy and laws.RecommendationsBased on the study, the following recommendations are made to helpinfluence and redirect health, water and social policies for the benefit ofthe citizenry in Saboba district, and Ghana as a whole.Health officialsThis study recommends that health officials, and also district assemblyand the NGOs, to reprioritise their health campaigns to create moreawareness on the most common diseases in the district such as Malaria,Typhoid, RTI and diarrhoea, rather than tolling the international-diseasecampaign-trends. While it is important to campaign against HIV/AIDSand Guinea worms, doing so by neglecting Malaria, Typhoid and RTI isinappropriate, hence there is the need for the campaigns to also embracethese diseases. It is surprising to see that people in Saboba district ratedGuinea worms as the third most common disease, when in fact thedisease is almost completely eradicated in the district. Health officialsshould keep Spatio-temporal data of patient’s attendance for monitoringand assessment of disease patterns, trends and occurrence.It is recommended that intervention measures towards creation ofawareness to minimise water related diseases must not focus on onlycommunities along the conventional watercourses (rivers, streams etc)but must take the whole district in its entity into consideration, since thestudy discovered no significant correlation between these water coursesand water related diseases in the district. Health officials should make it apriority to explain to patient clearly the disease they are diagnosed of, itscausal agent and how it can be prevented. Though, the high number ofpatients waiting for treatment is usually the deterrent factor, thisexplanation to patients will in the long-run reduce the disease burdenand the stress on the health centres. It is also recommended to healthofficials, district assembly and the NGOs to shift from the curative58