Microbial source tracking and antimicrobial resistance in one river system of a rural community in Bahia, Brazil

Use of antibiotics inevitably leads to antimicrobial resistance. Selection for resistance occurs primarily within the gut of humans and animals as well as in the environment through natural resistance and residual antibiotics in streams and soil. We evaluated antimicrobial resistance in Gram negative bacteria from a river system in a rural community in Bahia, Brazil. Water was collected from the Jiquiriçá and Brejões rivers and the piped water supply. Additionally, stools were collected from a random sample of residents, cows, pigs and horses near the river. The samples were screened for bacteria resistant to ciprofloxacin, cefotaxime, and meropenem and identified biochemically at the genus and species levels. Microbial source tracking demonstrated that ruminant and human fecal contamination increased as the rivers neared the village center and decreased after the last residence. Antibiotic bacteria were identified from all samples (n = 32). No bacteria were resistant to carbapenems, but the majority of the enterobacteria were resistant to ciprofloxacin, even though this class of antibiotics is not commonly used in food animals in this region. Considering these facts, together with the pattern of human fecal contamination, a human source was considered most likely for these resistant isolates.

Demographic and socio-economic risk factors associated with self-reported TB

BACKGROUND: The infectiousness of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is known to be shaped by the human environment, with research showing positive associations with poverty, homelessness and overcrowding, among other factors. In this study, the focus is primarily on environmental health risks for TB, particularly on those associated with sociodemographic and household living conditions in South Africa.METHODS: Data for this study were collected between 2014 and 2019 from a number of sites implementing community-oriented primary care (COPC) in the Gauteng Province of the country. Community health workers (CHWs) used AitaHealthtm, a custom-built mobile information management application, to obtain data on the TB status and environmental conditions of households. Statistical models were used to determine associations between various demographic, socio-economic and environmental risk factors, and TB.RESULTS: Approximately 12,503 TB cases were reported among 7,769 households. Substance use and male-headed households were found to have significant associations in households with at least one individual with TB. Overcrowding, as well as lack of access to piped water and adequate sanitation were also found to be positively associated with a ‘TB-household.´CONCLUSION: Improvements in housing and services, particularly the provision of piped water and reticulated flush toilets, are needed to control and prevent TB in South Africa.

Comparing Experiences of Constitutional Reforms to Enshrine the Right to Water in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru: Opportunities and Limitations

In this paper we compare recent efforts towards the constitutionalization of the right to water in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru to understand the opportunities and limitations related to the attempts to enhance access to piped water to the highest normative level. Peru passed a constitutional amendment in 2017 while Brazil and Colombia have seen much right-to-water activism but have not succeeded in passing such reforms. We explore the role of the existing domestic legal frameworks on drinkable water provision and water management towards the approval of constitutional amendments. We find that all three countries have specialized laws, water governing institutions, and constitutional jurisprudence connecting access to water with rights, but the legal opportunity structures to enforce socio-economic rights vary; they are stronger in Colombia and Brazil, and weaker in Peru. We argue that legal opportunity structures build legal environments that influence constitutional reform success. Legal opportunity structures act as incentives both for social movements to push for reforms and for actors with legislative power to accept or reject them. Our findings also show that in some contexts political cost is a key element of constitutional reforms that enshrine the right to water; therefore, this is an element that should be considered when analyzing these processes.

Inclusive Development Approach to Urban Water Services in Jakarta

The lack of a reliable piped water network in Jakarta causes the ongoing exploitation of groundwater. Thus, the government should provide inclusive clean water for all residents. This study aims to review the literature on the inclusive development approach on water services across urban contexts to provide recommendations for the local government. Since the inclusive development approach to water and sanitation is relatively new, the study employs a narrative review method to learn best practices from several cities across the globe. Studies showed that other cities faced a similar problem in providing piped water systems, leading to the reliance on groundwater sources. Some recommendations can be drawn from the study. First, the local government should increase water supply by piped water networks to low-income families in poor neighbourhoods. Second, subsidizing the poor should also be included in the system. Third, strict rules and regulations on groundwater use should also be applied to all to save water and the environment. Fourth, the collaboration between citizens and the government by encouraging community participation in decision making can empower citizens, especially women, to increase their knowledge on water use and their right to have clean water.

SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF DRINKING WATER COVERAGE IN THE RURAL AREAS OF UTTARAKHAND HIMALAYA: A GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS

Uttarakhand government has made a good effort towards covering rural areas in meeting basic water requirements. There are various natural water sources such as spring, river, glacier, groundwater, well etc which play a significant role in the supply of water in the villages of Uttarakhand state. The fundamental objective of this research paper is to study the basic water facility in the villages of Uttarakhand state. For this purpose, the piped water supply (PWS) and functional household tap connection (FHTC) are analyzed. There are total 16919 villages in the study area. Out of the total villages, 16568 villages have PWS facility and about 47% households are connected with PWS facility. There are about 38% villages have more than 70% FHTC coverage. The study reveals that unbalanced development of FHTC and PWS facility among the different districts, i.e., some districts such as U.S. Nagar, Champawat, Almora, Haridwar etc have poor development of FHTC and PWS facility whereas some districts such as Dehradun, Chamoli, Bageshwar etc have good facility. The study suggests that all the villages and households should be covered equally under PWS and FHTC facilities to ensure basic water security.