Flipbook onFlipbook onSafe Drinking Water and Personal Hygiene

YoungHealth

Programme

Safe Drinking Water

Published by Plan India September 2011

Please feel free to quote, translate, distribute and transmit parts or all of this publication provided that Plan India is acknowledged.

These documents are produced for use in India.

The AstraZeneca Young Health Programme

This publication is a product of the Young Health Programme, AstraZeneca’s global community investment programme.

The Young Health Programme is designed to help disconnected young people around the world deal with the health issues they face, protecting their health now and improving their chances for a better life in the future.

The programme is a partnership between AstraZeneca, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Plan International, a leading international, child-centred development organisation.

Plan works in 48 countries across Latin America, Africa and Asia, helping the world’s poorest children to move from a life of poverty to a future with opportunity.

What is safe water?Safe water includes treated surface water, as well as untreated but uncontaminated water from sources such as natural springs and sanitary wells which can be used by people for drinking, bathing, washing hands, clothes, vegetables and utensils and cooking.

Is clear water safe for drinking? Clear water may have small organisms, harmful bacteria, toxic materials or chemicals which may have contaminated and made it unsafe for drinking.

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Methods to get safe and clean water• Chlorinating: Chlorine is a disinfectant and adding chlorine to

water removes most micro-organisms.

• Boiling: Boiling is the best way to remove micro-organisms.

• Filtering: Filtering water removes most mud and dirt.

• Handling hygienically: Handling water hygienically will prevent contamination after boiling or chlorinating and filtering the water.

• Storing hygienically: Water must be stored hygienically to prevent accidental contamination after boiling or chlorinating and filtering the water.

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ChlorinationChlorination means adding chlorine to the water. Chlorine kills various harmful germs present in the water and make it safe to drink and use for other purposes.

Chlorinated water that is stored in a container with a wide opening or with no lid (or a lid that does not fit tightly) should be used for non-drinking purposes after 24 hours.

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Boiling the waterWater should be boiled in a teapot or a pot and heated until large bubbles appear. Continue boiling for 15 minutes after the bubbles appear. Then let it cool and it will be ready to drink.

Boiled water remain safe for drinking only for 24 hours. It should be used for purposes other than drinking after that.

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FilterationA water filtration is the process of removal of impurities from water by means of a fine physical barrier such as a clean muslin cloth, a chemical process or a biological process.

A simple method to filter water before using it could be to pour the water through a clean fine muslin cloth. if you are using a cloth, take care that the cloth covers the mouth of the receptacle fully so that no water spills over the sides and into the pot.

You have various water filters which is are also available at a nominal cost in the market.

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Correct handling of water• Water should be fetched from clean surroundings. The vessel

used for fetching drinking water should be clean• Water taken from drinking water pump/tap should be fi ltered

using a clean muslin cloth• Mere heating water is not suffi cient. Water should be boiled

for at least 10 minutes• Water container should always be covered with a lid. If not

water gets contaminated with dust and dirt. Before having water, hands should be washed clean

• Use long-handled ladle to fetch water from the pot• Make sure that drinking glasses are clean. Care should be

taken while holding the glass that fi ngers are not soaked in the water

Water should always be stored in a neat and clean place. It can be stored in pots which are regularly washed and are covered properly so that they do not become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

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Water borne diseasesDiarrhea, Typhoid, Gastro Enteritis, Hepatitis-A (Jaundice), Dysentery, Cholera and Polio are some of the water-borne diseases.

All of these germs enter the body through human faeces, safe disposal of faeces and safe drinking water is therefore essential to stay healthy.

These diseases get transmitted through -Water that has been contaminated by:• Human or animal faeces, especially where there is open defecation; and • Unclean hands, especially where hands have not been washed after

defecation. • Vegetables that have been cultivated using unclean water contaminated by

faeces, and have not been properly washed before cooking. • Physical contamination resulting from walking through dirty water or soil

without footwear.

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Modes of transmission of water-borne diseases

fi ngers and fl ies Feces

foodfl uids

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Personal hygiene and prevention of these diseasesGiven below are few steps which you should follow regularly:• Take bath everyday.• Wash your hands with soap and water before eating and after eating• Wash your hands with soap after defecation.• Wash your hands with soap and water before cooking.• Clip your nails frequently as bacteria can hide under the nails and be difficult

to remove.• Wear footwear when stepping out of the house as bare feet can track

source of bacterial contamination back into the house.• Children should wash hands after working with mud or playing with animals.• Wash hands and feet after coming from outside/field.• Wash hands after touching anything dirty or contaminated articles such as

bandages etc.

The five F’s - fingers, flies, feces, food and fluids are the conduits for poor health and hygiene.

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HandwashingWe use our hands to put a lot of things in our mouth or rub our eyes. As a result, germs on our hand can easily reach our vulnerable body organs and parts. Therefore, it is very important to wash hands properly in order to avoid maximum number of infections and diseases. Hand should be washed before eating, before cooking food, before feeding children and after passing stools and after cleaning up a baby who has passed stools.

Soap is the best cleanser to use, but if there is no soap, you can use ash, sand, or even mud as an alternative to soap because all of these are abrasive so they help loosen (or “rub off”) the germs or dirt. You should then rinse under a stream of water

Steps for handwashingRoll the sleeves of your shirt above elbow and using plain water and soap, wash parts of the hand in the following sequence:1. Palms and fingers and web spaces2. Back of hands3. Fingers and knuckles4. Thumbs5. Finger tips6. Wrists and forearm upto elbow

Once the hands have been washed, you should not touch anything for e.g. hair, pen till you carry out the required job.

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Palms and fi ngers and web spaces Back of hands Fingers and knuckles

Thumbs Finger tips Wrists and forearm upto elbow

Steps for handwashing

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Community role in maintaining hygiene and cleanlinessYouth and others need to be aware of ways of maintaining personal hygiene and should spread awareness among others. They need to act as change agents breaking unhealthy practices and adopting healthy practices while encouraging others to do the same.

Key messages• Washing hands so important as it helps in cleaning away a lot of

germs• Everyone should wash their hands: adults, the elderly, young

people children, and babies. If children are unable to wash hands by themselves, an adult should help them

• We should use soap and water to clean hands; if it is not available we can use ash, sand or even mud

• Washing your hands with any water makes them cleaner if you also use a cleaning agent such as soap, sand, or ash. It is better to rinse your hands with running water.

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Plan India is a nationally registered child centred community development organisation. For over 30 years, Plan and our partners have helped communities throughout India to help themselves, so that children have access to their rights including the right to protection, basic education, proper healthcare, a healthy environment, livelihood opportunities and participation in decisions which affect their lives. We encourage children to express their views and be actively involved in improving their communities. Plan India currently works in 11 states in India and has impacted the lives of over a million children.

Plan India’s rights based approach helps bring lasting improvements to the lives of vulnerable children and their communities in India, including children living on the streets and those living in urban homeless families; those with disabilities or affected by HIV; those who are exploited and trafficked; the children of sex workers; and child labourers. Plan India also works to help girls overcome the disadvantage and discrimination they face in everyday life within most communities.

Plan India is committed to the principles of child rights and equality, and we work to develop the capacity of civil society to meet their own needs by replicating successful development models.

Plan India is part of Plan International, one of the world’s largest community development organisations. Plan’s vision is of a world in which all children realise their full potential in societies which respect people’s rights and dignity.

Disclaimer

“The content is only to create/enhance public awareness and not for any treatment guidelines. Nothing in the content should be construed as the giving of advice or the making of any recommendation and this content should not be relied upon as the basis for any decision or action. You must consult a suitably qualified healthcare professional on any specific problem or matter which is covered in any of the content before taking any action. We make no warranties, representations or give any undertakings either express or implied about any of the content (including, without limitation, the timeliness, currency, accuracy, completeness or fitness for any particular purpose of such content or that the results which may be obtained from the use of the content will be error free or reliable.).

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