This topic was taken from World bank, Water and Sanitation Programme
For the whole of Cambodia, less than one person in four (22%) enjoys access to an improved househole latrine, ranging from 16% of rural dwellers to 56% of urban dwellers. Almost three-quarters (70%) of Cambodians- over ten million people- still use open defecation as their principle sanitation option. Having an unsafe latrine or no latrine at all causes higher rates of disease transmission, contributes to water and land pollution, leads to indignity and loss of population welfare, and has range of other indirect effects which affect overall economic and social development in Cambodia.
A recent study by the World Bank's Water and Sanitation Programme estimated the economic losses due to poor sanitation and hygiene in Cambodia exceed US$450 million anually, amounting to some 7% of Cambodia's GDP in 2005. The per capita economic cost is approximately US$ 30.
Economic costs related to the health impacts of poor sanitation are estimated at roughly US$190 million, representing 40% of the total cost. This is followed by water pollution costs ( US$ 150 million), loss to tourism (US$75 million), and time loss due to poor sanitation access (US$40 million).
Many diseases are transmitted through contact with human feces and poor hygiene, including diarrheal disease (eg. cholera, typoid), intestinal parasites (eg. helminthes), eye diseases (eg. tracoma) and skin diseases. The 'F' diagram below shows pathogens are passed from Feces directly through 'Fingers', 'Flies', 'Fluid', and 'Field' to the new host, or is transmitted to the new host through another F- 'Food'. These diseases- mainly fecal-oral in nature- are very common in Cambodia.
Freuent sicknesses- especially in children- lead to higher rates of malnutrition. 35% of young children in Cambodia are moderately or severly malnourished. Malnutrition reduces the ability to participate in daily activities, and affects immunity to other diseases.
Annually at least 10 million cases of disease occur due to poor sanitation and hygiene in Cambodia, causing around 10 thousand deaths.
National surveys show that children underfive years old suffer oin average at least 4 cases of diarrheal disease per year. Disease rates are closely linked to the type of latrine families use, how feces are disposed of, and household hygiene pratices.
Disease have many costs. Patients seek to treat their disease either through formal care (doctor or nurse), an informal health provider, they ask at the parmacy. Poor hosueholds are often short of cash funds and must borrow money.
Also, sickness takes asults away from their daily work and children lose school time.
Health care and productivity costs due to poor sanitation and hygiene are worth US$20 million per annum (6000 Riels per capita).
While Cambodia has achieved reduction in child mortality in recent years,it still has one of the highest rates in Asia. Premature death leads to loss of income. The 10,000 premature deaths related to poor sanitation cost the country at least US$ 170 million per year.
Life also has inherent value. Death causes emotional distress to family and friends. These costs are hard to quantify in money terms, but they are perhaps the most important.
Newsletter artwork: Hong Bora, Idea realization: Khema Chhorn, Text: Guy Hotton, Team members: Phyrum Kov, Phalla Yin.
Key Words
- sanitation: is the process of keeping places clean and healthy, especially by providing a sewage system and a clean water supply.
- latrine: is a structure, usually consisting of a hole in the ground, that is used as a toilet.
- hygiene: is the pratice of keeping your self and your surroundings clean, especially in oreder to prevent illness or the spread of serious disease.
- cholera: is a serious disease that often kills people. It is caused by drinking infected water or by eating infected food.
- typoid: is a serious infectious disease that produces fever and diarrhoea and can cause death.
- malnutrition: If someone is suffering from malnutrition, they are physically weak and extremely thin because they have not eaten enough food.
- malnourished: If someone is malnourished, they are physically weak because they do not eat enough food or do not eat the right kind of food.
