Why ?improved? water sources are not always safe
Existing and proposed metrics for household drinking-water services are intended to measure the availability, safety and accessibility of water sources. However, these attributes can be highly variable over time and space and this variation complicates the task of creating and implementing simple an...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The World Health Organization
|
| Series: | Bulletin of the World Health Organization |
| Online Access: | http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0042-96862014000400283&lng=en&tlng=en |
| _version_ | 1827337370599424000 |
|---|---|
| author | Ameer Shaheed Jennifer Orgill Maggie A Montgomery Marc A Jeuland Joe Brown |
| author_facet | Ameer Shaheed Jennifer Orgill Maggie A Montgomery Marc A Jeuland Joe Brown |
| author_sort | Ameer Shaheed |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Existing and proposed metrics for household drinking-water services are intended to measure the availability, safety and accessibility of water sources. However, these attributes can be highly variable over time and space and this variation complicates the task of creating and implementing simple and scalable metrics. In this paper, we highlight those factors – especially those that relate to so-called improved water sources – that contribute to variability in water safety but may not be generally recognized as important by non-experts. Problems in the provision of water in adequate quantities and of adequate quality – interrelated problems that are often influenced by human behaviour – may contribute to an increased risk of poor health. Such risk may be masked by global water metrics that indicate that we are on the way to meeting the world’s drinking-water needs. Given the complexity of the topic and current knowledge gaps, international metrics for access to drinking water should be interpreted with great caution. We need further targeted research on the health impacts associated with improvements in drinking-water supplies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T18:51:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1060722ee55f4c33af279d581b3e0f0d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0042-9686 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T18:51:58Z |
| publisher | The World Health Organization |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Bulletin of the World Health Organization |
| spelling | doaj.art-1060722ee55f4c33af279d581b3e0f0d2024-03-02T01:07:11ZengThe World Health OrganizationBulletin of the World Health Organization0042-968692428328910.2471/BLT.13.119594S0042-96862014000400283Why ?improved? water sources are not always safeAmeer ShaheedJennifer OrgillMaggie A MontgomeryMarc A JeulandJoe BrownExisting and proposed metrics for household drinking-water services are intended to measure the availability, safety and accessibility of water sources. However, these attributes can be highly variable over time and space and this variation complicates the task of creating and implementing simple and scalable metrics. In this paper, we highlight those factors – especially those that relate to so-called improved water sources – that contribute to variability in water safety but may not be generally recognized as important by non-experts. Problems in the provision of water in adequate quantities and of adequate quality – interrelated problems that are often influenced by human behaviour – may contribute to an increased risk of poor health. Such risk may be masked by global water metrics that indicate that we are on the way to meeting the world’s drinking-water needs. Given the complexity of the topic and current knowledge gaps, international metrics for access to drinking water should be interpreted with great caution. We need further targeted research on the health impacts associated with improvements in drinking-water supplies.http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0042-96862014000400283&lng=en&tlng=en |
| spellingShingle | Ameer Shaheed Jennifer Orgill Maggie A Montgomery Marc A Jeuland Joe Brown Why ?improved? water sources are not always safe Bulletin of the World Health Organization |
| title | Why ?improved? water sources are not always safe |
| title_full | Why ?improved? water sources are not always safe |
| title_fullStr | Why ?improved? water sources are not always safe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Why ?improved? water sources are not always safe |
| title_short | Why ?improved? water sources are not always safe |
| title_sort | why improved water sources are not always safe |
| url | http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0042-96862014000400283&lng=en&tlng=en |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ameershaheed whyimprovedwatersourcesarenotalwayssafe AT jenniferorgill whyimprovedwatersourcesarenotalwayssafe AT maggieamontgomery whyimprovedwatersourcesarenotalwayssafe AT marcajeuland whyimprovedwatersourcesarenotalwayssafe AT joebrown whyimprovedwatersourcesarenotalwayssafe |