scholarly journals Health impact of water and sanitation infrastructure reconstruction programmes in eight Central American communities affected by Hurricane Mitch

2006 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah M. Moll ◽  
Rebecca H. McElroy ◽  
Raquel Sabogal ◽  
Lana F. Corrales ◽  
Richard J. Gelting
Keyword(s):  
Health Impact ◽  
Central American ◽  
Red Cross ◽  
Hurricane Mitch ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Hygiene Education ◽  
Water And Sanitation Infrastructure ◽  
Sanitation Infrastructure

In response to Hurricane Mitch, which struck Central America in October–November 1998, the American Red Cross (ARC) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collaborated on a 3-year evaluation of the public health impact of ARC's water, sanitation and hygiene education activities in eight study areas in Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. The evaluation compared: 1) access to and use of water and sanitation facilities, 2) the use of hygienic behaviours, and 3) diarrhoeal prevalence in children younger than 3 years of age before (February 2000) and after (February 2002) the interventions had been implemented. The evaluation included household and key informant interviews designed to measure these three components. Water quality of community water sources and household water was evaluated by measuring levels of indicator bacteria. During the final survey, an infrastructure evaluation provided a review of the design, construction, and current operation and maintenance of the water systems and latrines. The integrated water and sanitation infrastructure interventions and hygiene education programmes implemented following Hurricane Mitch effectively decreased diarrhoea prevalence in the target communities.

scholarly journals Sustainability of water, sanitation and hygiene interventions in Central America

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel I. Sabogal ◽  
Elizabeth Medlin ◽  
Gonzalo Aquino ◽  
Richard J. Gelting
Keyword(s):  
Central America ◽  
Red Cross ◽  
American Red Cross ◽  
Storm Events ◽  
Life Changes ◽  
Original Design ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Access To Water

The American Red Cross and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collaborated on a sustainability evaluation of post-hurricane water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions in Central America. In 2006 and 2009, we revisited six study areas in rural El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua to assess sustainability of WASH interventions finalized in 2002, after 1998's Hurricane Mitch. We used surveys to collect data, calculate indicators and identify factors that influence sustainability. Regional sustainability indicator results showed there was a statistically significant decline in access to water. The presence of sanitation facilities had not changed since the beginning of the project; however, maintenance and use of latrines declined but continued to meet the goal of 75% use after 7 years. The hygiene indicator, hand washing, initially declined and then increased. Declines in water access were due to operational problems related to storm events and population changes. Sanitation facilities were still present and sometimes used even though they reached or surpassed their original design life. Changes in hygiene practices appeared related to ongoing hygiene promotion from outside organizations. These results provide useful input for making WASH programs more sustainable and informing future, more in-depth research into factors influencing sustainability.

scholarly journals Development of Haiti's rural water, sanitation and hygiene workforce

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Hubbard ◽  
Gabriella Lockhart ◽  
Richard J. Gelting ◽  
Fabienne Bertrand
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Initial Field ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Rural Workforce ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Rural Water ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Institutional Challenges

In 2009 the Haitian Directorate of Potable Water and Sanitation (DINEPA) identified an inadequately trained and under-staffed rural workforce as one of their main institutional challenges. Plans to address this challenge were impacted by the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010 and the cholera outbreak of October 2010, both of which further complicated Haiti's already poor water and sanitation conditions. Recognizing the importance of DINEPA's institutional priorities, donor and technical assistance groups provided needed support to improve the country's conditions and build the rural water and sanitation workforce. This report describes how DINEPA and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collaborated to design and implement a training program for 264 potable water and sanitation technicians for rural areas. The paper also describes the initial field activities of the newly trained technicians and the immediate impact of their work in the rural water, sanitation and hygiene sector.

A community demand-driven approach toward sustainable water and sanitation infrastructure development

2011 ◽  
Vol 214 (4) ◽  
pp. 326-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Hubbard ◽  
John Sarisky ◽  
Richard Gelting ◽  
Virginia Baffigo ◽  
Raul Seminario ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Water And Sanitation Infrastructure ◽  
Sanitation Infrastructure
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document