Intersectoral Involvement in Water Sanitation Innovations

Authors

  • Alix Thompson McMaster University

Abstract

Diarrheal diseases result in the death of over one million children annually, more than AIDS, malaria and measles combined (2). Poor water management and sanitation are at the root of this serious global health issue, requiring intersectoral involvement to establish and implement efficient water management and sanitation strategies.

Simple yet effective water and sanitation innovations such as rainwater harvesting and ecological sanitation are available, however many people continue to lack access to safe water and are far behind the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for water and sanitation(1,2).

This paper analyzes the importance of intersectoral involvement and the interaction between technology and policy in successful technology transfer, with a focus on rural Zambia.

Using a socio-ecological framework, this analysis focuses on the interaction between environmental subsystems and the economic, social, and political factors affecting new technology implementation. The issues with assuming that new water sanitation innovations will be universally applicable are discussed in relation to past difficulties with transferability. 

Author Biography

Alix Thompson, McMaster University

Department of Global Health, Faculty of Health Sciences

Global Health MSc Student

References

1. World Health Organization and UNICEF. Progress on Sanitation and Drinking Water-2014 Update. World Health Organization; 2014 May. Available from: http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/2014/jmp-report/en/

2. Opio C. Building Effective Drinking Water Management Policies in Rural Africa: Lessons from Northern Uganda. CIGI-Africa Initiative Policy Brief Series; 2012 Sept; No.5. Available from: https://www.cigionline.org/publications

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2015)

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Published

2015-12-30

How to Cite

Thompson, A. (2015). Intersectoral Involvement in Water Sanitation Innovations. Global Health: Annual Review, 1(1). Retrieved from https://journals.mcmaster.ca/ghar/article/view/1078

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2015): Global Health: Annual Review, Issue 1

Section

Research Topics

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