The impact of a school-based water supply and treatment, hygiene, and sanitation programme on pupil diarrhoea: a cluster-randomized trial.

The impact of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) access on mitigating illness is well documented, although impact of school-based WASH on school-aged children has not been rigorously explored. We conducted a cluster-randomized trial in Nyanza Province, Kenya to assess the impact of a school-based WASH intervention on diarrhoeal disease in primary-school pupils. Two study populations were used: schools with a nearby dry season water source and those without. Pupils attending 'water-available' schools that received hygiene promotion and water treatment (HP&WT) and sanitation improvements showed no difference in period prevalence or duration of illness compared to pupils attending control schools. Those pupils in schools that received only the HP&WT showed similar results. Pupils in 'water-scarce' schools that received a water-supply improvement, HP&WT and sanitation showed a reduction in diarrhoea incidence and days of illness. Our study revealed mixed results on the impact of improvements to school WASH improvements on pupil diarrhoea

Evidence for extreme variations in the permeability of laterite from a detailed analysis of well behaviour in Nigeria

Laterite soils are widespread in tropical Africa and have a large impact on the hydrology of the areas they cover. The permeability of laterite helps determine the partitioning of runoff and interflow and regulates groundwater recharge to underlying bedrock. Groundwater within laterite also forms a widespread source of drinking water, typically from unimproved hang-dug-wells. Despite its importance, there is little published information on laterite aquifer properties. In this study, data from a 6 m deep well in Nigeria have been analysed to characterise the hydraulic conductivity of the laterite from repeated pumping tests. Transmissivity measurements from 40 tests spread out across a hydrological year varied from 0.1 to 1000 m2/d. Further interpretation of the data demonstrate a strong non-linear decrease in horizontal hydraulic conductivity with depth, characterised by an upper horizon of extreme permeability (400 m/d), and a much lower permeability profile beneath (<0.1 m/d). These data are substantiated with observations from other wells throughout the area. This non-linear permeability structure has several implications: the upper laterite can facilitate rapid lateral throughflow in the wet season, enabling contaminants to be transported significant distances (up to 1 km); natural groundwater levels are restricted to a narrow range for much of the year; and, in the dry season, the lower permeability of the deeper laterite restricts the amount of water which can be abstracted from shallow wells, leading to well failure. The work highlights the need for a wider study to better understand laterite soils and the role they play in regional hydrology

The impact of a school-based safe water and hygiene programme on knowledge and practices of students and their parents: Nyanza Province, western Kenya, 2006.

Safe drinking water and hygiene are essential to reducing Kenya's diarrhoeal disease burden. A school-based safe water and hygiene intervention in Kenya was evaluated to assess its impact on students' knowledge and parents' adoption of safe water and hygiene practices. We surveyed 390 students from nine schools and their parents at baseline and conducted a final evaluation of 363 students and their parents. From baseline to final evaluation, improvement was seen in students' knowledge of correct water treatment procedure (21-65%, P<0.01) and knowing when to wash their hands. At final evaluation, 14% of parents reported currently treating their water, compared with 6% at baseline (P<0.01). From 2004 to 2005, school absenteeism in the September-November term decreased in nine project schools by 35% and increased in nine neighbouring comparison schools by 5%. This novel programme shows promise for reducing school absenteeism and promoting water and hygiene interventions in the home

Water and Sanitation in Schools: A Systematic Review of the Health and Educational Outcomes

A systematic review of the literature on the effects of water and sanitation in schools was performed. The goal was to characterize the impacts of water and sanitation inadequacies in the academic environment. Published peer reviewed literature was screened and articles that documented the provision of water and sanitation at schools were considered. Forty-one peer-reviewed papers met the criteria of exploring the effects of the availability of water and/or sanitation facilities in educational establishments. Chosen studies were divided into six fields based on their specific foci: water for drinking, water for handwashing, water for drinking and handwashing, water for sanitation, sanitation for menstruation and combined water and sanitation. The studies provide evidence for an increase in water intake with increased provision of water and increased access to water facilities. Articles also report an increase in absenteeism from schools in developing countries during menses due to inadequate sanitation facilities. Lastly, there is a reported decrease in diarrheal and gastrointestinal diseases with increased access to adequate sanitation facilities in schools. Ensuring ready access to safe drinking water, and hygienic toilets that offer privacy to users has great potential to beneficially impact children’s health. Additional studies that examine the relationship between sanitation provisions in schools are needed to more adequately characterize the impact of water and sanitation on educational achievements

Assessing the Impact of a School-based Safe Water Intervention on Household Adoption of Point-of-Use Water Treatment Practices in Southern India

We assessed a pilot project by UNICEF and Hindustan Unilever Limited to improve the quality of drinking water for children in schools through adoption of improved drinking water practices among households in southern India. The intervention consisted of providing classrooms of 200 schools a commercial water purifier, and providing basic hygiene and water treatment information to students, parents, and teachers. We found no evidence that the intervention was effective in improving awareness or uptake of effective water treatment practices at home. A similar proportion of household members in the intervention and control groups boiled their water (P = 0.60), used a ceramic filtration system (P = 0.33), and used a cloth filter (P = 0.89). One year after the launch of the campaign, household ownership of the commercial purifier promoted at schools was higher in the intervention group (26%) than the control group (19%), but this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.53)