A safe, reliable, affordable, and easily accessible water supply is essential for good health. Yet, for Gloucester Community Health Post (CHP) that services 4,084 residents the facility is without water.
Water is very essential in the fight against COVID 19 especially at a time when the virus is mutating and the infection is spreading literally at lightning speed.
The facility which has only one maternity ward and two maternity beds presently has no source of water, and the tank is not functional, health workers explained.
The water tank and the water pump was provided by UNICEF unfortunately the pump became faulty bringing the much needed service to a halt.
Currently there is no source of water at the health post, the workers disclosed.
According to Nurse in Charge, Esther Samura the facility has been without water for over four years now. She said the only source of water is a nearby unprotected stream.
The nurse explained that at times the relatives of patients would be asked to fetch water so that they can attend to their relative.
Improving water, sanitation, and hygiene has the potential to prevent at least 9.1% of the global disease burden and 6.3% of all deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) report Safer Water, Better Health, released before the pandemic. Nevertheless, 4.2 billion go without safe sanitation services and 3 billion lack basic handwashing facilities. In addition, diarrheal diseases caused by waterborne pathogens and poor hygiene inhibit nutrient absorption, so that even those with access to adequate nutrition may face malnutrition. This means that where handwashing is limited and waterborne illness is already common, not only will COVID-19 spread more easily, its lethality could be amplified.
It has been estimated that a minimum of 7.5 litres of water per person per day is required in the home for drinking, preparing food, and personal hygiene. The most basic requirements for water; at least 50 litres per person per day is needed to ensure all personal hygiene, food hygiene, domestic cleaning, and laundry needs.
OG/29/1/2021
By ophaniel.gooding@yahoo.com