Water quality and waterborne disease in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali: A study of local knowledge and response

Sarah J. Halvorson; Ashley L. Williams; Sidy Ba; Florence V. Dunkel

doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2010.10.002

Water quality and waterborne disease in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali: A study of local knowledge and response

Sarah J. Halvorson
, Ashley L. Williams
, Sidy Ba
, Florence V. Dunkel

W. A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

34 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a study to assess patterns in local knowledge of and response to water quality and waterborne diseases in relation to seasonal changes in the Niger River Inland Delta. The study draws on field data collected in four villages along the Niger River in the Mopti region of Mali during September 2008. The major findings suggest: (1) water use behaviors and diarrheal disease management are influenced by the tremendous seasonal fluctuations in the riverine environment; (2) local awareness of the relationship between poor water quality, oral-fecal disease transmission, and waterborne disease is low; (3) interventions to mitigate the high incidence of childhood diarrhea and degraded water quality are limited by ongoing socio-economic, cultural, and environmental factors; and (4) women's level of health knowledge is socially and culturally dependent.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	449-457
Number of pages	9
Journal	Health and Place
Volume	17
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2010.10.002
State	Published - Mar 2011

Funding

This study was funded through a grant provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative States Research Education and Extension Service Higher Education Challenge Program for the project entitled, “New Paradigm for Discovery-Based Learning: Implementing Bottom-Up Development by Listening to Farmers’ Needs While Engaging Them in Participatory, Holistic Thinking” (MONE-4004-02778; F. Dunkel P.I). Funding was also provided through the Higher Education for Development (HED) Project based at Montana State University (F. Dunkel P.I) as well as The University of Montana. We wish to thank the residents of Danguere-Maliki, Bargon-Daga, Kobaka and Danguere-Bila for their time and willingness to participate in this study. We would also like to thank Abdoulaye Barry, Director of the Direction Regionale de la Santé de Mopti-Sevare and Professor Bocar Sall who provided documents with useful health-related information for Mali. Thanks also go to the Département du Génie Rural et des Eaux et For ê ts, Institut Polytechnique Rural de Formation et de Recherche Appliquée for approving the academic leave of one of the authors (Sidy Ba). We also appreciate the insightful comments and suggestions on previous versions of this paper that were provided by Drs. Philip Ramsey and Jeffrey A. Gritzner of The University of Montana and two anonymous reviewers.

Funder number
MONE-4004-02778

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

Childhood diarrhea
Knowledge
Mali
Niger River Inland Delta
Water quality
Women

Access to Document

10.1016/j.healthplace.2010.10.002

Cite this

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title = "Water quality and waterborne disease in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali: A study of local knowledge and response",

abstract = "This paper presents the findings of a study to assess patterns in local knowledge of and response to water quality and waterborne diseases in relation to seasonal changes in the Niger River Inland Delta. The study draws on field data collected in four villages along the Niger River in the Mopti region of Mali during September 2008. The major findings suggest: (1) water use behaviors and diarrheal disease management are influenced by the tremendous seasonal fluctuations in the riverine environment; (2) local awareness of the relationship between poor water quality, oral-fecal disease transmission, and waterborne disease is low; (3) interventions to mitigate the high incidence of childhood diarrhea and degraded water quality are limited by ongoing socio-economic, cultural, and environmental factors; and (4) women's level of health knowledge is socially and culturally dependent.",

keywords = "Childhood diarrhea, Knowledge, Mali, Niger River Inland Delta, Water quality, Women",

author = "Halvorson, \{Sarah J.\} and Williams, \{Ashley L.\} and Sidy Ba and Dunkel, \{Florence V.\}",

note = "Funding Information: This study was funded through a grant provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative States Research Education and Extension Service Higher Education Challenge Program for the project entitled, “New Paradigm for Discovery-Based Learning: Implementing Bottom-Up Development by Listening to Farmers{\textquoteright} Needs While Engaging Them in Participatory, Holistic Thinking” (MONE-4004-02778; F. Dunkel P.I). Funding was also provided through the Higher Education for Development (HED) Project based at Montana State University (F. Dunkel P.I) as well as The University of Montana. We wish to thank the residents of Danguere-Maliki, Bargon-Daga, Kobaka and Danguere-Bila for their time and willingness to participate in this study. We would also like to thank Abdoulaye Barry, Director of the Direction Regionale de la Sant{\'e} de Mopti-Sevare and Professor Bocar Sall who provided documents with useful health-related information for Mali. Thanks also go to the D{\'e}partement du G{\'e}nie Rural et des Eaux et For {\^e} ts, Institut Polytechnique Rural de Formation et de Recherche Appliqu{\'e}e for approving the academic leave of one of the authors (Sidy Ba). We also appreciate the insightful comments and suggestions on previous versions of this paper that were provided by Drs. Philip Ramsey and Jeffrey A. Gritzner of The University of Montana and two anonymous reviewers.",

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doi = "10.1016/j.healthplace.2010.10.002",

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T1 - Water quality and waterborne disease in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali

T2 - A study of local knowledge and response

AU - Halvorson, Sarah J.

AU - Williams, Ashley L.

AU - Ba, Sidy

AU - Dunkel, Florence V.

N1 - Funding Information: This study was funded through a grant provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative States Research Education and Extension Service Higher Education Challenge Program for the project entitled, “New Paradigm for Discovery-Based Learning: Implementing Bottom-Up Development by Listening to Farmers’ Needs While Engaging Them in Participatory, Holistic Thinking” (MONE-4004-02778; F. Dunkel P.I). Funding was also provided through the Higher Education for Development (HED) Project based at Montana State University (F. Dunkel P.I) as well as The University of Montana. We wish to thank the residents of Danguere-Maliki, Bargon-Daga, Kobaka and Danguere-Bila for their time and willingness to participate in this study. We would also like to thank Abdoulaye Barry, Director of the Direction Regionale de la Santé de Mopti-Sevare and Professor Bocar Sall who provided documents with useful health-related information for Mali. Thanks also go to the Département du Génie Rural et des Eaux et For ê ts, Institut Polytechnique Rural de Formation et de Recherche Appliquée for approving the academic leave of one of the authors (Sidy Ba). We also appreciate the insightful comments and suggestions on previous versions of this paper that were provided by Drs. Philip Ramsey and Jeffrey A. Gritzner of The University of Montana and two anonymous reviewers.

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N2 - This paper presents the findings of a study to assess patterns in local knowledge of and response to water quality and waterborne diseases in relation to seasonal changes in the Niger River Inland Delta. The study draws on field data collected in four villages along the Niger River in the Mopti region of Mali during September 2008. The major findings suggest: (1) water use behaviors and diarrheal disease management are influenced by the tremendous seasonal fluctuations in the riverine environment; (2) local awareness of the relationship between poor water quality, oral-fecal disease transmission, and waterborne disease is low; (3) interventions to mitigate the high incidence of childhood diarrhea and degraded water quality are limited by ongoing socio-economic, cultural, and environmental factors; and (4) women's level of health knowledge is socially and culturally dependent.

AB - This paper presents the findings of a study to assess patterns in local knowledge of and response to water quality and waterborne diseases in relation to seasonal changes in the Niger River Inland Delta. The study draws on field data collected in four villages along the Niger River in the Mopti region of Mali during September 2008. The major findings suggest: (1) water use behaviors and diarrheal disease management are influenced by the tremendous seasonal fluctuations in the riverine environment; (2) local awareness of the relationship between poor water quality, oral-fecal disease transmission, and waterborne disease is low; (3) interventions to mitigate the high incidence of childhood diarrhea and degraded water quality are limited by ongoing socio-economic, cultural, and environmental factors; and (4) women's level of health knowledge is socially and culturally dependent.

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KW - Knowledge

KW - Mali

KW - Niger River Inland Delta

KW - Water quality

KW - Women

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M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:79952484473

SN - 1353-8292

VL - 17

SP - 449

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JO - Health and Place

JF - Health and Place

IS - 2

ER -

Water quality and waterborne disease in the Niger River Inland Delta, Mali: A study of local knowledge and response

Abstract

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

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