The World Health Organisation is working with the Mauritanian government to improve the environmental health issues in the area, from improving water quality and sanitation to increasing the knowledge and education of good hygiene in public areas. The life expectancy of Mauritanian people is less than 60 years old – 20 years of drought have created a demographic transformation which is 90 percent desert landscape. As such, the nomadic population has declined drastically with people living in shantytowns – this means that the access to clean water is limited. Sanitation in these areas is scarce, with sewage systems often failing and contaminating the water supply.
The health risks from the spoiled water are high, with many adults and children facing disease and conditions such as diarrhoea through the poor conditions. Around 2,150, 1,700 of which are children under the age of 5, die every year from diarrhoea. It’s thought that 90 percent of these cases are attributed to the poor water supply and declining sanitation. The WHO are looking to build better systems for the population of this area, which includes teaching better hygiene practices, building toilets and creating cleaner water sources. The main resource for water in Mauritania is a mobile water control laboratory which was supplied over two years ago as a way of improving the water quality in more remote areas.
Children are particularly at risk due to an immune system that’s still developing so the WHO is working with schools to create a cleaner environment. Every member of the community, including students and teachers, is working together as active players in this initiative to help create a cleaner environment for children to thrive in. Likewise, there are health centres being situated in these areas to help create safer surroundings, such as the installation of six biomedical waste incinerators. Medical waste, for example, is a hive of microorganisms which can pose a serious health threat. In creating safer and healthier environmental practices, the organisation hopes to reduce the risk of disease.
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