Of diarrhoea, health and the water crisis
Baboki Kayawe | Friday September 4, 2015 14:27
During a briefing on the recent outbreak in Ramotswa recently, the ministry’s head of communication and public relations, Doreen Motshegwa said that even if the water situation could not directly be identified as the cause of the disease, relations could be there between the two. At least 168 cases were found in the village recently, mainly involving children under five. The health ministry is conducting an investigation into the causes of the outbreak.
“So far the cause has not been confirmed, but we are realising that there is a possibility of linkage.
The water situation presents a possibility of a health issue,” Motshegwa said.
Previously, the ministry issued a public warning advising Batswana to “store water in clean covered containers, and prevent contamination during collection, transport and storage.” Members of the public were also encouraged to use chemical disinfection and other methods.
“Several chemicals can be used to disinfect water, but chlorine tablets are the most commonly used. Chlorine can be toxic, so it is important to observe manufactures’ instructions,” Motshegwa advised.
According to a lecturer in the School of Public Health (Department of Environmental Health) at the University of Botswana, Baemedi Letsholo, shortage of water has numerous implications to public health.
Firstly, there are very high chances that the quality of water is poor and compromised as during a crisis, people secure water anywhere including boreholes, which have not been tested.
“At times like this, people get water anywhere and everywhere, and usually those sources are not tested as to whether they are fit to supply quality consumable water. Quality is very much at risk now more than ever,” said Letsholo. In addition, the rise of opportunistic businesses where some people sell water whose quality has not been tested, is a cause for concern.
“In Mmopane Block I for instance, people are using huge trucks to transport water for sale.
Many people are coming from their homes to buy and store in big reservoirs that were once used for industrial purposes where things such as chemicals were stored in there.”The implications of the water crisis on health are far reaching as Letsholo warns that an outbreak of food poisoning could occur, due to preparation in unhygienic conditions.
“Water scarcity means hygienic practices such as hand washing are limited, even for those who prepare food.
This increases the chances of food contamination and poisoning,” he explained.
Bathing and personal hygiene are also highly affected, as people begin sharing bath water, a practice common among children.
As a result, water diseases are easily transferable and prevalent under such conditions, he said.
“Vulnerable populations such as under fives, old people and those with ailments that have compromised their immune systems are at a high risk of catching diseases such as diarrhoea and others brought about by contaminated water,” he said.
The impact of the water crisis on health was brought to the fore this week, when the country’s premier public hospital, Princess Marina, was forced to turn patients away and prioritise only emergency cases. The hospital, which has a 200,000-litre reservoir, was forced to prioritise the cases it attends to, while making plans to purchase a 10,000-litre Jojo tank to augment supplies. Patients in several sensitive wards, meanwhile, found themselves at the mercy of visitors, who had to come in with bottled water to their rescue.
Those patients considered ‘not very critical’ and whose care and procedures required water were not attended to due to the ‘positive discrimination’ measure adopted by the premier referral facility.