Emergency WASH Network Update - March 15, 2021

[Dan Campbell]

Dear Colleagues:

Thank you to all the subscribers to the “Emergency WASH Update.” Please note that this is the last issue of the update, which was prepared by the USAID Water CKM Project, funded by USAID’s RFS Center for Water Security, Sanitation and Hygiene.  A new USAID RFS mechanism will provide similar updates in the near future. Since 2018 the Network has expanded from about 30 to 290+ members and shared 230+ updates on Emergency WASH research, network member activities, etc.  

This update features 17 recently published studies and reports on a variety of Emergency WASH topics and some of the issues discussed in the studies include:

• Innovative strategies for providing menstruation-supportive WASH facilities in refugee camps
• mobile modular systems of water treatment and storage
• humanitarian and development support for WASH providers in the Middle East and North Africa

Events

COVID-19 Resilience: Adapting In A Time Of Crisis - This WSUP webinar discussed the challenges faced in the urban WASH sector. Panelists included: Gerald Mwambire, Managing Director, Malindi Water & Sewerage Company; Jeff Goldberg, Director, Center for Water Security, Sanitation and Hygiene, USAID; Helena Dollimore, Senior Manager, Global Sustainability, Unilever; and Andrea Jones, Program Officer, International Programs, Hilton Foundation.

COVID-19

WASH & COVID-19 Resources – This Globalwaters.org web page was recently updated with new USAID and other COVID-19 reports and resources.

Summary report: Fostering a new generation of effective hygiene initiatives built on the pandemic experience. COVID-19 Hygiene Hub, February 2021.
This summary report reflects on how programs can be adapted given the protracted nature of the COVID-19 response. This includes building in mechanisms for sustainability and advocating for longer term programmatic, policy and systems changes

The COVID-19 epidemic and evaluating the corresponding responses to crisis management in refugees: a system dynamic approach. Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management, February 2021.
This paper contributes to humanitarian organizations, governments and refugees by discussing useful insights. Implementing the policy of social distance and hygiene behavior policies would help in a sharp reduction of death among refugee groups. and public financial support has improved distance education during this pandemic.

AMR and Covid-19 on the Frontline: A Call to Rethink War, WASH, and Public Health. Annals of Global Health, February 2021.
This Viewpoint calls for a greater understanding of the role that water plays in the transmission of antimicrobial resistance and Covid-19 in protracted urban armed conflict, in order to develop a ‘pathogen-safe’ practice.

Health/Hygiene Issues

Cholera Fact Sheet. WHO, February 2021.
Researchers have estimated that each year there are 1.3 to 4.0 million cases of cholera, and 21,000 to 143,000 deaths worldwide due to cholera. Provision of safe water and sanitation is critical to prevent and control the transmission of cholera and other waterborne diseases.

Innovative strategies for providing menstruation-supportive water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities: learning from refugee camps in Cox’s bazar, Bangladesh. Conflict and Health, February 2021.
Although the identified innovative participatory methodologies and design approaches are promising, the long term viability of the facilities, including plans to expand them, may be dependent on the continued engagement of girls and women, and the availability of resources.

Short Communication: Previously unrecognized potential threat to children from manganese in groundwater in Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Chemosphere, March 2021.
Based on the results of this small-scale study, we recommend undertaking an in-depth study on the occurrence of manganese (Mn) in groundwater in the camps to come up with appropriate strategies to minimize exposure.

Refugee Settlements and Cholera Risks in Uganda, 2016–2019. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, February 2021.
Cholera control prevention measures are currently being implemented; however, additional measures are needed to reduce the risk of cholera among refugees including oral cholera vaccination and a water, sanitation and hygiene package during the refugee registration process. 

Draft Genome Sequences of Multidrug-Resistant and mcr-1.1-Harboring Escherichia coli Isolated from Drinking and Well Waters Used in Syrian Refugee Camps. Microbiol Resour Announc, January 2021.
Resistance to colistin, a last-resort antibiotic, threatens the treatment of complicated infections, especially in susceptible populations such as Syrian refugees who live in makeshift camps. Two multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli strains were isolated from the waters used by refugees.

Review: Environmental health conditions in the transitional stage of forcible displacement: A systematic scoping review. Science of The Total Environment, March 2021.
First review of 88 studies on environmental health conditions in displacement. Water supply was the most commonly discussed environmental health topic. Knowledge gaps included menstrual hygiene and oral hygiene.

Sanitation Issues

Faecal sludge management in Africa: Socioeconomic aspects and human and environmental health implications. UNEP, December 2020. This research paper discusses how current trends in fecal sludge management are impacting human and environmental health in Africa.

Water-related Issues

Mobile Modular Systems of Water Treatment and Storage in Crisis Situations – Review of Existing Solutions. Preprints, February 2021. This report reviews standard water treatment methods as well as innovative solutions. Some of the solutions are so effective that they should also be combined with the possibility of safe storage of purified water. Flexible tanks are used for this, which significantly improve logistics and provide a supply of water in all places where it is needed.

Influx of Syrian Refugees in Jordan: Effects on the Water Sector. Sources: Government of Germany; Government of Jordan. February 2021.
Traditional decision pathways of conservative planning must be left behind and regionally adapted concepts for the future need to be implemented. For example, an integrated wastewater and water management approach and the implementation of semi- and decentralized wastewater treatment systems will assist in mitigating extreme water scarcity and protect groundwater resources in Jordan.

Guidelines for Bulk Water Treatment in Emergencies. Oxfam 2020.
This report has been produced to help engineers to quickly set up a reliable water treatment system where mass displacement of people has occurred.

Joining Forces to Combat Protracted Crises: Humanitarian and Development Support for Water and Sanitation Providers in the Middle East and North Africa. World Bank, November 2020.
This report examines five problems identified by WSS service providers operating in protracted crises in the Middle East and North Africa region. Some of the problems discussed include: inadequately governed water resources management; aggressive competition from alternative providers (e.g., tanker trucks), and escalating off-grid energy generation costs. of 

Others

Modeling pastoralist movement in response to environmental variables and conflict in Somaliland: Combining agent-based modeling and geospatial data. PLoS one, December 2020. This study explores how pastoralists respond to changing environments by designing an agent-based model to simulate the movement of nomadic pastoralists..

The Impact of Living Arrangements (In-Camp versus Out-of-Camp) on the Quality of Life: Case Study of Syrian Refugees in Jordan. World Bank, February 2021. This paper explores how Syrian refugees’ quality of life in camps in Jordan differs from that of Syrian refugees residing outside camps.

Dan Campbell
Knowledge Creation/WASH Specialist, ECODIT│www.ecodit.com
USAID Water Communications and Knowledge Management (CKM) Project
Implemented by a Consortium led by ECODIT
Email: dcam...@waterckm.com
Phone: 571-777-8485, ext. 107
Skype: dan.campbell49

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