Health, Water And Climate Change

Health is impacted by climate change in various ways because the wellbeing of people depends on the environment which in turn is affected by climate change. Everything required to sustain life is provided for by a habitable environment. Oxygen, freshwater, soil on which plants grow, and even the building blocks of urbanization, all that is derived from nature.

But in terms of climate change, health is influenced primarily through the very important lens of water. Statistics put 80% of the world facing water insecurity in one way or another. They don’t have a safe and reliable source of enough freshwater for all their needs. Climate change will cause water scarcity through droughts and heatwaves but also floods and inundation because of too much rain, cyclones or sea level rise.

Young African Medics. Image by Tyck/Iwaria

To begin with, lack of enough drinking water causes dehydration and eventually death of people in times of strong drought or heatwaves.

Agriculture is controlled by water, so when there is not enough of it, food yields will go down and there’s not enough nutrition. Rain-fed agriculture is predominant while the rest is irrigated. But climate change is affecting the availability of rainfall and its distribution patterns. Irrigation depends on harvested rainwater or ground/surface water in lakes, rivers, water pans or dams all of which is supplied and replenished by rainwater.

 First, there is a shortage of basic staples like wheat, rice and maize and a whole variety of other crops grown for agricultural purposes resulting to hunger and food insecurity.

There are micro nutrient deficiencies such as that of zinc, boron or iron because crops lack enough nutrition value e.g. lack of protein. This is called hidden hunger, when the body lacks one type or another of essential element.

People are therefore likely to suffer from malnutrition and will be predisposed to other illnesses because their bodies lack the requisite capacity and strength to fight back. They also suffer from conditions associated with mineral deficiencies.

Categories that are particularly vulnerable are children, elderly, pregnant and lactating mothers and those with pre-existing medical conditions.

High atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide reduce nutritional value of crops.

Aflatoxins are poisonous substances that result from consuming improperly dried foodstuff. It happens when foodcrops are not sufficiently dried before consumption. It can occur when almost mature harvests in farms are rained on making them wet. This happens because seasons are out of sync and it rains at the wrong times and sometimes it’s quite heavy. Or when it becomes impossible to sun-dry foodstuff because of cold, humid or rainy weather. When foodstuffs are not properly dried (have high moisture content), it results to formation of aflatoxins and other food-based toxins that cause dangerous impacts on health such as cancer, aflatoxins are carcinogenic.

Heat waves and extremely hot days make it uncomfortable for the human body. Extreme heat leads to heat stress and illness and loss of man-hours at work. More energy is also expended to keep cool. Mortality occurs in those who are highly exposed and lack adaptive capacity e.g. people in informal settlements (slums), street families, hawkers, people working outdoors, those with non-insulated houses/shelters etc. Sick, elderly or vulnerable people are also at risk.

Naturally, rains will ease the situation and cool down the atmosphere. However, climate change is affecting the entire global water cycle and as greenhouse levels go up, so does temperature and this means more and stronger heatwaves.

Waterborne diseases are transmitted through polluted water. With climate change, as the atmosphere warms up so does the ocean. The ocean is the biggest regulator of both gases and heat, absorbing the biggest amount on a yearly basis. But as the ocean itself warms up, the higher sea surface temperatures result to more evaporation and more moisture in the air, resulting to heavy rains and more intense storms (cyclones) inland.

This coupled with environmental destruction results to extra heavy flash floods which easily overwhelms unprepared infrastructure.

Mixing of rainwater and dirty water (sewage) whether in the open or in waste water treatment plants results to a dangerous source of infections.

Also, floods covering solid waste results to poisoned water which can cause dermatological and waterborne diseases such as cholera outbreaks. In fact cholera has been reported in areas hit by heavy monsoon, tropical cyclones and storms. Polluted water can flow into freshwater infrastructure or water sources such as rivers and lakes or wells and boreholes making it unfit for consumption and immediately causing a shortage of clean and safe drinking water.

People and property can be washed away by floods. Floods covering landfills results to leaching of heavy metals and poisoned water.

Saline water intrusion into freshwater aquifers mean drinking water is turned salty. There’s no water to drink.

Airborne disease are also another area water is involved. Wildfires occur when there are extra dry, hot and windy conditions. Climate change is increasing the prevalence of both heatwaves and droughts, and extremely hot days. It’s making fire weather more and more likely.

Wildfires release ash and smoke, a whole lot of particulate matter as well as carbon dioxide into the air making it very unfit for breathing. Respiratory illnesses are triggered or aggravated by such, as a huge percentage of the population is advised to stay indoors or use masks to breathe which is not always possible. People with preexisting health conditions are at risk once again from the deteriorating quality of air.

You can see how the environment is important.

Rainfall would automatically put out such fires and not only so but remove a huge amount of particulate matter and other pollutants from the sky by settling it down over land.

The situation is the same with sandstorms and dust storms. Windy and sustained hot weather dries up the soil column and causes evaporation of soil moisture. This loosens up soil particles and in fact destroys soil structure. It’s easy then for soil particles to be picked and whipped up over long distances, making sandstorms a reality.

Climate change is reducing precipitation over some areas like North Africa and Arabia and increasing heatwaves, all of which fuel such storms. Water in terms of rainfall would ease all that.

Another area is vector borne diseases. Vector borne diseases are illnesses transmitted by vectors such as parasites or insects. Zoonotic diseases are those that can move between animals and people. They are transmitted by animals. Anthrax or brucellosis are examples.

Climate change is amplifying these diseases in several ways. First is by increasing or reducing the endemic range of diseases i.e. areas where diseases are most prevalent. Weather and climate range determine opportune conditions for different types of parasites.

Another way is by shortening the lifecycle. This is because the lifecycle of insects is controlled by weather phenomena. For example temperature and rainfall control hatching of eggs or when insect larvae changes to caterpillar etc. Not only so, but flowering and maturation (fruiting) times of plants must coincide with certain stages in insect lifecycles so as to provide food for the insects and promote fertilization and pollination of crops.

Climate change is changing temperature and rainfall seasons which is also affecting stages of plant growth. In fact climate zones are shifting and with it all the associated plants and insects.

Third way is by increasing breeding. Mosquitoes for example are vectors for malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever among others. They thrive in hot and humid areas. Stagnant water and high vegetation cover offer perfect breeding grounds. Malaria range for example is increasing as heavy rain becomes more rampant. Flooded rivers and lakes are prime breeding ground for mosquitoes.

 Not only so, but illnesses such as bilharzia transmitted by snails is highly likely in flooded areas. Sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis) caused by tsetse flies thrives in areas that are dry and hot. Climate change is slowly increasing prevalence of such.

Storm surge and floods as a result of cyclones and storms are increasing water damage in houses and buildings leading to growth of mold. Black mold is particularly dangerous for human health affecting immunity and the respiratory tract.

Vector borne diseases constitute a sixth of global disease burden and zoonoses are roughly three quarters of all illness worldwide.

Now, cities are particularly prone to climate change and health impacts through the lens of water because they are big masses of concrete jungle with hardly any vegetation. The urban heat island effect coupled with climate change makes urban population vulnerable. This is important because rural urban migration will soon have two thirds of mankind living in cities in the near future.

The high demand for water for various reasons including cooling and household consumption will further strain water resources.

Climate change and water related disasters drive displacement and migration of people. People fleeing floods and drought leave their homes and go to new areas which are for the most part not adequately prepared. IDP[1] or refugee camps predispose women and girls to sexual violence and exploitation and a variety of sexually transmitted diseases.

About a quarter of health facilities lack adequate supply to clean water for health purposes. Climate change will likely increase that figure. It’s very important for hospitals to have clean reliable water.

Adaptation measures in health, water and climate change is first of all more research and study need to be done on this topic so as to have actionable data and gather more knowledge and information. National health societies should be responsible for this.

Data is what undergirds planning and proper planning helps avoid or reduce impact of disasters.

Now, it is very important to properly educate and train health personnel on the linkages between climate change and health and not only so, involve different sectors such as the entire water sector (utilities, regulators and waste water treatment plants).

A multi-sectoral approach is crucial in realizing results that are beneficial for people’s health. It stops people from getting in each other’s way but instead working together for public good.

Early warning systems concerning climate events such as heavy rain, heatwaves and cyclones or drought will prepare everyone adequately and inform setting aside of resources to combat or alleviate resulting crisis.

People can for example move to higher ground. Government and other institutions can sponsor shelters for people during storms or floods. Fire warnings prepare people to relocate from affected areas, stock up on health aids e.g. inhalers or wear masks.

Preventative measures such as vaccines, mosquito nets and water cleaning equipment (tablets, chemicals or filtration machines) can help to deal with the impacts of climate change on health and water and reduce waterborne diseases.

Cleaning campaigns especially to get rid of solid waste, open litter and trash clogging water ways and drains is also helpful. Not only does it clear passage for water during heavy flows but it also removes the breeding grounds for insects and removes bad odour.

Dumpsites should be cleared regularly and recycling of waste materials encouraged. This could also be a source of income especially for low income youth and families.

Consideration should be given towards turning such sites to waste to energy (WTE) facilities.

Health systems should be strengthened in general, with more equipment, enough drugs (medication) and more qualified and specialized personnel hired. Robust institutions are needed to respond to health and water impacts of climate change.

Other methods of preserving foodstuff e.g. electric or solar powered driers can help reduce dependence on fluctuating weather and also reduce occurrence of aflatoxins in cereals.

Reliable and safe storage facilities for dry foodstuff should be increased in capacity in order to deal with drought-caused shortages and absorb shocks while bolstering food security. The same would help prevent spoilage of foodstuff from rain/water damage.

It’s important to work with local communities all the way from grassroots to the top. Unless people clearly understand what climate change is and how it affects their health and water, they will be ill-prepared and won’t take preventative measures.

People who are aware are in fact able to deal with impacts of climate change and make the best of it.

It’s also important to include gender equality, because women and girls are often the principal caregivers to sick people in households or the community, and are also impacted in different ways by climate change in their health.

The burden of disease affects women more because water issues have to do with them. Water for household consumption is usually their responsibility.

Climate change, health and water should intrinsically be managed holistically, from the cause to the result. Environmental health, plant health, animal health and human health are several sides of one issue. Because they are interlinked, they should be regarded as one. This requires a multidisciplinary approach and cooperation between different sectors and in fact everyone’s input is needed.

Of course, the most effective and long-term solution is sustained and deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

Act on climate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] Internally Displaced Persons