Ensuring access to adequate water supply is vital for South Africa's sustainable development. Unfortunately, many communities still lack basic water supply and sanitation services, with three million people without access to water and 14.1 million without sanitation.
These were some of the key sentiments and statistics from the Water Research Commission (WRC) sponsored a research project, led by Professor Paula Melariri, to explore the impact of water quality on public health. The team's research findings were recently presented in a workshop, providing valuable insights into this important issue.
Stakeholders from the departments of Education, Water Research commission, Public Health; and experts from Nelson Mandela Municipality attended the workshop in a hybrid format, combining on-site participation at Mandela University's North Campus Conference Centre and online engagement via the ZOOM platform.
A total of 86 delegates attended, with 82 participating on-site and four joining online.
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Front from left, Dr Eunice Ubomba-Jaswa ( WRC Project Manager); Mbulelo Mpupu ( Deputy Director ECDoBE); Nozipho Chiliza ( Director ECDoBE); Prof Paula Melariri (Project Leader & Health Sciences Research Director); Wandisile Jikeka (Chief Whip NMMB Council); Dr Patrick Nodwele ( Deputy Director: Municipality Health Sciences) and Maryline Vere (PhD Student). Back, Dr Wilma ten Ham-Baloyi (co-investigator); Penny Jaca ( WRC Administrative assistant); Alive Ntunja ( WRC sponsored master’s student); Prince Campbell (WRC sponsored master’s student ); Dr Denise Schael (Director: CMR), Dr Lucy Ochola (Co-Investigator) and Wouter le Roux ( Co-investigator).
Four research projects addressed the issue of water quality and health implications.
One of the research projects looked at water quality in Kariega and associated health risks such as diarrhoea.
“The leading cause of death among children under the age of five is diarrhoea, and according to Stats South Africa, the Eastern Cape Province had the highest number of diarrheal deaths in the 2017/18 cycle of children under the age of five”.
These were the harrowing statistics presented by Wouter le Roux, a co-investigator in the WRC project and research associate at the University’s Faculty of Health Sciences, during the Water Research Commission (WRC) workshop.
The study conducted over all four seasons, evaluated how climate change affected the availability of water. This forced people to rely on alternative water sources which were not always safe.
Le Roux said health risks such as being infected when swimming or, drinking contaminated water through public water taps, often went unreported, particularly in developing countries with humid conditions.
He cautioned that although it might not cause an epidemic, there was still a risk of dangerous outbreaks.
“Due to the prolonged drought in the area, there is significant evidence that climate change may alter the incidence of water-borne diseases and diarrhoea,” he said.
His study will be extended to other provinces, nationally, and into Africa.
Audience stakeholders
The University’s Director of the School of Behavioural and Lifestyle Sciences, Professor Zoleka Soji, said water is a fundamental pillar of public health, well-being, and development.
“The importance of water cannot be overstated, especially in a world faced by increasingly complex challenges such as water scarcity, pollution, and climate change. The impact of these challenges on human health is profound,” she said.
Prof Soji reaffirmed the Faculty of Health Sciences’ support of the Commission, recognising how the challenges surrounding water are inherently linked to human health and equity.
Director of Health Science Research, and project lead, Prof Paula Melariri, said it was important to provide feedback to the sponsors, stakeholders and communities who played pivotal roles in the project.
Master’s student Alive Ntunja, investigated the impact of an educational intervention on hygiene knowledge and practices among municipal waste and sanitation workers in Nelson Mandela Bay.
His study probed whether more than 200 waste workers wore the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when working, if they disposed of it correctly, and whether they followed correct health practices, such as washing hands after handling waste material.
The findings supported the notion that educational programmes focused on hygiene increased the knowledge and practices of sanitation and municipal workers. Programmes which were implemented contributed to the prevention of hygiene-related infections, fostering a healthier environment for all.
Additionally, Ntunja’s study advocated that the Department of Education introduce a curriculum that sufficiently covers hygiene-related diseases in pre-matric education.
He also suggested policymakers develop guidelines for hygiene knowledge and practices for waste and sanitation workers.
Prince Campbell, who graduated with a master’s degree in environmental health, earlier this year, investigated the role of environmental factors, vegetation type, and community knowledge, attitude, and practices on schistosomiasis, a water-borne disease caused by parasitic worms with snails serving as the intermediate host.
“Environmental and climate conditions influence the density and abundance of schistosomiasis intermediate host snails, so, more vegetation means the lessening of snails,” explained Prince. Unsafe water caused this disease, as well as a lack of knowledge from people, who came into contact with it.
“Environmental and climate conditions influence the density and abundance of schistosomiasis intermediate host snails, so, more vegetation means the lessening of snails,” explained Prince.
However, it was concerning that only eight percent of the participants knew about this.
His research acknowledged that some causes of unsafe water may be attributed to people urinating or defecating near rivers, due to inadequate facilities where they lived.
Prince recommended more health programmes and education on water sanitation and hygiene.
Both Alive and Prince completed their master’s degrees with distinction.
PhD student Maryline Vere also looked at the same disease, the prevalence, associated risk factors, and diagnostic biomarkers of schistosomiasis, among school-going children in NMB.
Maryline’s research was on how transmission occurred, and the number of people aware of the health risks. Her presentation led to a lively exchange with the audience who explained to the researcher(s) that cultural practices forced some of them to use rivers that may harbour these snails.
Her research showed that people with higher awareness of the illness would be more proactive with preventative measures.
Department of Basic Education director, Nozipho Chiliza said there were gaps in terms of sharing information and training, hence it was important to implement educative measures, to prevent the curb of water-borne infections.
“Having practitioners who understand the importance of quality water served to children in our Early Child Development centres ensures that we have children who will stay in school and be healthy enough to achieve and become good citizens for the country,” she said.
WRC research manager Dr Eunice Ubomba-Jaswa said the project was an example of breaking silos with its stakeholder involvement.
“From a funders’ point of view, this is a project that illustrates that funding academic research provides dividends not only in research, but community engagement, and hopefully we will see it positive impact in the coming years,” said Dr Ubomba-Jaswa.
The first project funded by WRC was R1.5 million, and it has received funding of R2.5 million for the next three-year project.
It will look at health, and environmental water quality, in the hopes that its outputs will feed into the municipality’s disaster management plans.
Key attendees included Prof Soji, Dr Denise Schael - Director for the Institute of Coastal Marine Research, Dr Wilma ten Ham-Baloyi - Nursing Science lecturer, Dr Lucy Ochola, Research Associate from Kenya Medical Research Institute and the Faculty of Health Sciences Research Directorate Team.
Sponsors from the WRC included Dr Eunice Ubomba-Jaswa (WRC Project Manager) and Penny Jaca (project coordinator), senior researchers from the CSIR, Wouter le Roux and Lisa Shaefer and environmental health practitioners from Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, as well as Dr Patric Nodwele - Deputy Director: Municipal Health Service and government officials, such as the Chief Whip – Wandisile Jikeka, The Director of Education for the Eastern Cape – Nozipho Chiliza and Deputy Director of Education – Mbulelo Mpupu, Primary School principals and representatives & Early Childhood Development, and the WRC Reference Group members.
Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive, with participants recognising the relevance of the project. Key discussions revolved around the findings, followed by a brainstorming session focused on potential solutions and the way forward.