﻿ Prevention

Home | Dossiers | None left behind | Prevention

When it comes to preventing disability in water and agricultural management there are two important strategies: (1) prevention of waterborne diseases and (2) prevention of occupational hazards.

Prevention of waterborne diseases

Water can be a cause of disability as a result of microbiological contamination (through bacteria, viruses or protozoa, enteric fevers and worm infestation) or chemical contamination (through for example high fluoride and arsenic levels). Contamination could happen during bathing, washing, drinking, while preparing food or through the consumption of infected food. Examples of these waterborne diseases include malaria, bilharzia, polio, cholera, dengue, and fluorosis.

The availability of safe and sufficient water can reduce the suffering of many people. Clean water can be ensured by selecting water sources that are not contaminated or by removing contaminants through water treatment.
Yet, the provision of clean water may not be sufficient. Water from point water sources such as handpumps will be transported from the source to the point of storage at homes. This implies a considerable risk of contamination during transport and storage that depends on the “water culture” of the users.

The famous f-diagram shows how measures contribute to completely break the transmission of pathogens from feces to faces. For example, storing water safely by covering a bucket.

Prevention of occupational hazards

Agriculture comes with occupational hazards that are often ignored but could be a cause of disability too, especially for the poor who work in less protected environments. Occupational hazards are risks that workers encounter, physically or mentally, while doing their job.
In agriculture, accidents can happen while working with heavy machinery, applying pesticide, threshing grain and cutting chaff cutting. Also snakebites and heat illness could be a hazard when working in the field.

Safety interventions

The International Labour Organization developed a code of practice on safety and health in agriculture, which provides practical guidance and technical standards for the agricultural sector. The code is non-binding, but helpful for those who wish to implement safety interventions.

In the USA, tractor accidents are the leading source of death and injuries on the farm. The national agricultural tractor safety initiative promotes using Rollover Protecting Structures, seatbelts and machine guards. They calculated that costs are comparable to other public health safety interventions such as the mandatory airbags.

Another measure taken in the USA is to prevent health issues caused by a lack of drinking water and sanitation facilities. Regulations are written down in the Field Sanitation Standard, which applies to any agricultural establishment where eleven or more workers are in hand-labor operations in the field. The standards require employers to provide: toilets, potable drinking water, and hand-washing facilities and to provide each worker reasonable use of it. It also mentions that the employer is obliged to inform each worker of the importance of good hygiene practices.



Solar Disinfection (SODIS) by Safe Water Haiti
Explanation of a simple and affordable method of sanitizing water, with education on proper hygiene and sanitation practices.


Rainwater harvesting, H2S strip test for e.c oli and SODIS
This is perhaps the simplest test to check for bacteria in water.


Tale of Tapatjuri
Fluorosis has crept into the lives in Tapatjuri to a degree that could scare many. Find out what went wrong and how people are coping with the circumstances.


Protecting ourselves and communities from Cholera 
Comprehensive training material to understand and combat cholera.


Schistosomiasis: Ending the Anguish of a Silent Disease
This disease weakens the body's resistance to other infections and leads to poor growth and impaired learning in children.

murky waters

Murky Waters: Shrimp Farming in Bangladesh 
Find out how shrimp from Bangladesh, exposed to pesticides and injected with dirty water, may be toxic to your health (start at 5:30 min)


Responsible Coffee Practice: Keep Water Clean
Water that's been used for washing coffee beans is acidic. If the coffee has been grown with pesticides, it could even be toxic. Releasing the water back into the source untreated is a serious health hazard.