Since the establishment of a democratic South Africa in 1994, a number of rural
water supply schemes have been implemented. A specific aim of these schemes is
to improve the health of the population. The underlying assumption is that a supply
of reticulated water will improve the quality of water used by the community, reduce
the exposure of the community to contaminated water supplies, and reduce water
related diseases, in particular diarrhoea.
This research thesis focuses on two rural water supply schemes in KwaZulu-Natal:
Mpolweni and Vulindlela, both being developed by Umgeni Water, the regional water
utility. These communities depended variously on rivers, rain harvesting, and
springs for their water supply. For sanitation, the majority of people used
unimproved pit latrines.
This research thesis is based on information gathered from the communities prior to
the installation of the water supply schemes. It focuses on the linkage between water
supply and health by examining diarrhoeal morbidity as a measurable disease
outcome and by identifying possible pathways to the prevalence of diarrhoea.
Questionnaire and observational surveys were undertaken of 181 households in
Mpolweni and 100 households in Vulindlela. From these surveys, the prevalence of
diarrhoea in Vulindlela households was found to be 40.4% and in Mpolweni to be
49%. Children under the age of five years old are the most vulnerable, with 20.1% of
children in Mpolweni and 21 .3% of children in Vulindlela reported as having had
diarrhoea in the recall period prior to the surveys.
The Mpolweni study considered eighty exposure variables, finding an association
between diarrhoeal disease and sixteen of these variables (p value < 0.05). The
Vulindlela study considered fifty-five exposure variables, of which eight were
considered significant (p value < 0.05). In regard to water and diarrhoea:
• no association was found between the prevalence of diarrhoea and the source of
water in either Mpolweni or Vulindlela.
• using water to wash nappies was associated with diarrhoeal disease in Vulindlela.
However, it is postulated that it is the faecal contamination in the nappy, rather than
the water, that is problematic. No association between water use and diarrhoea
was established in Mpolweni.
• poor disinfection of stored water supplies was associated with diarrhoeal disease in
both Mpolweni and Vulindlela. In addition, the use of plastic storage containers to
store water at the household provided additional risk in Mpolweni. However, once
the reticulated system is installed, the communities are likely to continue to store
water due to a distrust of the reliability of water supply.
The above surveys form the baseline for additional studies currently being
undertaken by Umgeni Water that are intended to measure the effectiveness of the
water supply schemes on community health.
However, from this thesis, it is concluded that many of the risk factors associated
with diarrhoeal disease in both Vulindlela and Mpolweni will not directly be addressed
by the introduction of the water supply schemes. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2000.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ukzn/oai:http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za:10413/4946 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Archer, Lynette Deborah. |
| Contributors | Fincham, Robert J. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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