Research
Cost-benefit analysis: comparisons of investments in improved water supply and cholera vaccination programmes
15 May 09
Researchers have, for the first time, conducted a cost–benefit comparison of improved water supply investments and cholera vaccination programmes.. Generally speaking, a combination of water supply intervention and targeted vaccination proved most cost-effective. However, when budgets are limited and when working in crowded slums, vaccination alone may be more practical.
Sanitation improvement: social constraints in the tea gardens of Sylhet, Bangladesh
14 May 09
A study was conducted at Lakkatura and Ali Bahar Tea Estates to assess the deteriorated sanitation conditions of workers there and to propose what was needed to improve these conditions.
Performance assessment: urban water supply and sanitation in Gujarat and Maharashtra, India
11 May 09
CEPT University has received a US$ 9.84 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a Performance Assessment System (PAS) for urban water and sanitation services in 400 urban areas of Gujarat and Maharashtra states in India.
Arsenic: using flocculant-disinfectant point-of-use water treatment to reduce exposure in rural Bangladesh
22 Mar 09
Researchers from Bangladesh and the USA introduced flocculant-disinfectant water treatment for 12 weeks in 103 households in Bangladesh to assess if drinking water would be chemically and microbiologically improved and the body burden of arsenic reduced.
Ecological sanitation: using faecal pollution indicators to estimate pathogen die off conditions
09 Mar 09
As the introduction of dehydrating toilets progresses, the safety of handling and reuse of their biosolids remains a question. This study investigated the storage conditions of selected faecal indicators in four urine diverting dehydrating toilet units in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.
Hygiene: link between fecal contamination of drinking water after collection and hygiene practices
09 Mar 09
Water-borne illness, primarily caused by fecal contamination of drinking water, is a major health burden in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Researchers from the University of Iowa (USA) and the Institute of Health Systems (India) discovered that fecal contamination occurs principally during storage.
Hygiene behaviour: exploring intra-household factors for diarrhoeal diseases - a study in slums of Delhi, India
11 Feb 09
This study, conducted among 300 households in three slum areas in Delhi, found that good storage practices for uncontaminated water do not necessarily lead to lower incidence rates of diarrhoeal diseases.
Fluoride: mapping of endemic areas and assessment of exposure in Tamil Nadu, India
20 Jan 09
The prevalence of fluorosis is mainly due to the consumption of fluoride through drinking water. This study aims to estimate fluoride exposure through drinking water of people from different age groups and to identify fluoride endemic areas through mapping.
Local governance: can decentralisation improve rural water supply services in India?
20 Jan 09
A survey of households in six villages in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, provides evidence that decentralisation in water supply leads to better quality services.
Water supply: impact on gender and income in Gujarat, India
12 Dec 08
This paper investigates the impact of domestic water supply on economic development and gender relations in rural households in a drought-prone area of Gujarat, India.
