EAHA DM 3.5b: Drought and Water Scarcity - Captions

This is a remix of 3.5b: Drought and Water Scarcity narrated by Roy William Mayega (Makerere University). The original video (without captions) can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCb6ZW8Eaoo. This video is part of a learning module from the East Africa HEALTH Alliance called Public Health Emergency Planning and Management for Districts. The full module and the video transcript can be accessed at http://openmi.ch/disaster-mgmt. Copyright 2009-2019 Roy Mayega (Makerere University). The video, transcript, and module are all shared under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 3.0 License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.

(English captions by Trisha Paul, University of Michigan.)

Drought and water scarcity.

Factors contributing to drought include global
warming,

El Nino Southern Oscillation, and
random meteorological variability.

Factors contributing to water shortages include
increased water demand, drying up of surface

water, reduced yield of wells and springs,
water pollution, restricted access to water

sources, dysfunctional water distribution,
and poor water conservation.

Consequences of drought include desertification,
famine, and drought is closely associated

with political disruption, especially in Africa.

Possible public health hazards include health
hazards like insufficient water for consumption

and insufficient water for hygiene purposes.

The threat to agriculture and
economy, malnutrition

may be caused by lack of water for food preparation,
loss of electrical power from hydroelectric

generation.

There are also a number of environmental hazards
that may result from drought and desertification.

The general aims for the public health response
in water emergencies are to save life and

preserve health by making at least the minimum
quantities of reasonably safe water available

for household use, for institutions and for community
services, to provide supplies, where possible,

for livestock and irrigation purposes, to
restore or enhance existing sources, pumping

and distribution systems, where possible,
to develop alternative arrangements where

necessary.

Water priorities for public heath include
protection of existing water sources from

contamination, maintenance of water systems,
conservation measures, and seeking alternative

sources.

Conservation measures may include storage
tanks, recycling waste water for sanitation

and irrigation if this is possible, and rationing
of water.

Choosing alternative water sources.

Rain and deep closed wells are usually safe.

Surface water and shallow or open wells are
unlikely to be safe.

Criteria for choosing between
alternative water sources.

Speed with which it can be made operational;
how fast can we set up this water source?

Potential yields of this water source, reliability
of supply, water purity, simplicity of technology

and ease of maintenance as well as the appropriateness
of this technology to the affected communities,

costs, rights and welfare of affected population.

Transportation: truck water should only be
a strictly short-term, stop-gap emergency

measure to ensure immediate survival of the
affected population.

Quantity is preferable to quality, although
quality is also important.

Involve the community in finding solutions.

Involve the national and local water authorities,
equipment and infrastructure that are normally

responsible.

Pay special attention to the needs of hospitals,
schools, health centers, and feeding centers

as well as other important institutions.

Individuals need at least 15-30 liters per
person per day.

The absolute minimum for survival is 3-5 liters
per day.

Health centers need 40-60 liters per patient
per day.

Feeding centers need 20-30 liters per person
per day.

Needs increase with air temperature and exertion.

Minimize work invested in "interim" solutions.
Try and look for permanent solutions.

Provide safe water as close as possible to
homes.

Minimize the risk of water contamination in
distribution points, delivery, and households.

Provide safe storage at community and household
levels.

Mobilize appropriate technical expertise:
water engineers to exploit available resources,

sanitarians to test and organize water treatment,
hydrogeologists to assess ground water potential,

hydrologists to assess surface water potential.