Water availability and quality is perhaps the single most important determinant of public health and, therefore, well-being in general.

This is a widely recognised fact. The United Nations Millennium Declaration places special emphasis on the contribution of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation to sustainable development and poverty alleviation. Part of the seventh Millennium Development Goal is to “reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.”

And yet, around 1.5 million people still die every year due to unsafe water and inadequate sanitation. 90% of these are children under five, mostly from developing countries. Malaria and Diarrhoea are two of the biggest water-borne killers in the world today, accounting for over 220 million deaths every year. Cholera affects 3-5 million people, taking up to 120,000 lives every year. Neglected tropical diseases like River Blindness “blight the lives of 1 billion people worldwide and threaten the health of millions more” (WHO, 2010).

This is a strong argument for channelling focus and resources towards improving water quality and sanitation.  Moreover, every $1 invested in this goal is likely to bring economic returns worth $5 to $60. Individuals and organisations across the world have taken notice of this, and invested in innovative solutions—low-cost drugs, hardware, waste management systems, institutional-level interventions, etc.:

• India- ECOSAN: Sustainable Sanitation (5527)
• East Africa- ABE: Low-cost Malaria treatment (6543)
• Bangladesh- Community-led Total Sanitation (6593)
• Sweden- The Peepoo Bag: a sanitation alternative (4781)
• Kenya- Cow Sh*t to Clean water (4639)

Most of the deadliest water-related diseases are also preventable. Their incidence can be avoided by following safe sanitation practices. Much effort, thus, is made by health organisations in carrying out awareness campaigns. To this end, videos could be used very effectively as a medium. Some examples:

• Canada- Buzz and Bite: Mosquitoes cause malaria (7111)
• Various- Protecting ourselves and communities from Cholera (5147)
• Pakistan- The story of Younus (6609)
• United States- GOOD: Drinking water (4197)

Which/how water-related diseases affects the population varies across contexts, and so does the nature of response by communities/health organisations. The following videos document some examples:

• Sudan- River Blindness: Trip to Abu Hamad (70)
• Dominican Republic- Battling Mosquitoes and Malaria in La Bomba (523)
• Kenya- Living in the bucket (5773)
• Mozambique-Finding link between Cholera and coastal fresh water (6369)
• Sudan- The Sand Killer (6843)

Several organisations the world over are engaged in tackling water-related diseases. Among others, the World Health Organisation, The Carter Foundation, and The Global Fund… are at the forefront of the effort. Their websites are a useful resource for further information and related data.

(Visit the Features Archive More Video Features)