ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH

DEPT.OF COMMUNITY MEDICINE

GANDHI MEDICAL COLLEGE
 UNICEF

 If you are planning for a year - sow rice

 If you are planning for a decade - plant tree
 If you are planning for a life time - educate the
people
 ENVIRONMENT

The term environment implies all the

external factors-living and non living,
material and non material which
surrounds man
 ENVIRONMENT

 Physical: water, air, soil, housing, wastes.

 Biological: plant & animal life including
bacteria, viruses, insects, rodents and
animals.
 Social: customs, culture, habits income,
occupation, religion etc.
 SANITATION
Dictionary meaning is science of
safeguarding health.

In actual fact the term sanitation covers

the whole field of controlling the
environment with a view to prevent
disease and promote health.
 SANITATION
Controllable factors : food, water, housing,
clothing, sanitation.

New problems : Air pollution, population

explosion, rapid urbanization.

Africa 2000 : new initiative aimed at

providing universal coverage of water
supply and sanitation services-UNICEF
 High incidence of morbidity &
mortality

 Unsafe water supply

 Poor personal hygiene practice
 Insanitory environment
 Poor housing
 Insects and rodents
 WATER

 Much of ill-health in developing countries

is due to lack of safe and wholesome
water supply
 There can be no state of positive health &
wellbeing without safe water
 Role in socio-economic development of
human population
 WATER

 In1980, the united nations general

assembly launched the international
drinking water supply and sanitation
decade 1981-1990 with the aim of
provide all people, adequate supplies of
safe water and sanitation by 1990.
 WATER
 In 1981,34th world health assembly in a
resolution emphasized that safe drinking
water is a basic element of primary health
care which is the key to the attainment of
HFA 2000 ad.
 Water is also integrated with other PHC
components because it is an essential part
of health education ,food and nutrition
and also MCH.
 WATER

Safe and wholesome water-it is defined as

water that is
1.Free from pathogenic agents
2.Free from harmful chemical substances
3.Pleasant to taste
4.Usable for domestic purposes
 WATER
Uses of water :
1.Domestic
2.Public purposes
3.Industrial
4.Agricultural purpose
5.Power production
6.Carrying waste
 WATER

Requirement:
For body physical needs : 2 lit/day/head
Daily requirement : 150-200 lit/day/head
Govt. of India target : 40 lit/day/ head
WATER SOURCES MUST CONFORM
TWO CRITERIA:-

 1.The quality must be sufficient to meet

present and future requirements.
 2.The quality of water must be acceptable.
 WATER-SOURCES
 1.Rain
 2.Surface water:-
Impounding reservoirs
Rivers and streams
Tanks, ponds, lakes
 3.Ground water:-shallow wells

Deep wells
Springs
 RAIN WATER

 It is a prime source of all water

 Part of it form ground water, part
evaporates into environment others form
streams, rivers ultimately into sea
 Characteristics: purest water in nature
 Physically it is clear , bright and sparkling
 RAIN WATER
 Chemically:-very soft ,water containing only
traces of dissolved solids
 It is free from pathogen
 Impurities:-it become impure as it passes
through atmosphere.
 Sulphur and nitrogen oxide emitted from power
plants react with atmospheric water forming
dilute soln. of sulphuric and nitric acid.
 Gibralter is a place which depend upon rain as a
source of water.
 SURFACE WATER
 It originates from rain water
 It is prone to contamination from human and
animals sources. It posses high probability of
organic,bacterial,viral contamination.
 Surface water sources are:-
1.Impounding reservoirs
2.Rivers and streams
3.Tanks,ponds,lakes
 SURFACE WATER-IMPOUNDING
RESERVOIRS
 These are artificial lakes.
 Dams built across rivers and mountain streams
also provide large reserves of surface water.
 Area draining into reservoir is called-
`catchment area’
 Characteristics:Ranks next to rain water.
 Physically: Clear, palatable
 Bacteriologically: Free from pathogenic agents
 Impurities: Derives impurities from catchment
area. Algae growth due to storage impart bad
taste & odour.
 SURFACE WATER-RIVERS
 It is describe as `direct connection between
alimentary canal of people living upstream &
mouth of below’
 Physically: Turbid-rainy season. Clear-other
times
 Bacteriologically: Contain high bacterial count,
including human intestinal organisms
 Impurities are derived from surface washings,
sewage & sullage water, industrial & agricultural
drainage area
 Self purification occurs by dilution,
sedimentation , oxidation, sunlight, plant &
animal life.
 SURFACE WATER-TANKS

These are large excavation in which surface

water is stored
Tanks are recipients of all sorts of
contamination
Highly dangerous as a source of drinking
water even at best times.
But unfortunately the water is drunk without
under going any treatment
 IMPROVEMENT OF TANKS
 Natural purification occurs by storage ,oxidation
&other sources but is not sufficient.
 Sanitary quality of water is improved by:-
1.Elevating edges of the tanks
2.Constructing fence around the tank
3.Elevating platform to draw water
4.Weeds should be removed periodically.
5.Tank should be clean regularly .
6.No one is allowed to go into the tank.
 SEA WATER
 Though the source is plentiful, it has many
limitations
 It contain 3.5% of salt in soln
 Off shores water contain salt con.of 30,000 to
36,000mg\lt
 Dissolved solid with 19000mg\lt Chloride
10,000mg\lt sodium & 1270mg\lt MG.
 Desalting & demineralization involves heavy
expenditure.
 GROUND WATER
 It is cheapest source of water.
 Superior to surface water ,because ground itself
provide an effective filtering medium
 Advantages of ground water:-
1.Free from pathogenic agents
2.Requires no treatment
3.Supply even during dry seasons
4.Less subject to contamination
 GROUND WATER
 Disadvantages:-
 1.High in mineral content ex:-calcium&mg
renders water hard
 2.Requires pumping or some
arrangement to lift water
 Ground water sources:-
1.Wells
2.Springs
 WELLS
 They are important source of water.
 Technically wells are of two kinds
 Shallow wells:-tap water from above
impervious layer in ground . yield limited
quantities of water & liable to pollution
 Deep wells:-tap from below the
impervious layer. Provide satisfactory
source &safest water.
 DUG WELLS& TUBE WELLS
 Based on method of construction wells are of
two types:-dug wells, tube wells
 Dug wells:-they are commonest type in India
 They are of two types:-
 A. The unlined katcha well:-it is a hole dug in
water bearing stratum
 B. Pucca wells:-open well ,built of bricks &
stones .Step wells are a kind of pucca wells.
IMPROVEMENT OF DUG WELLS
 1.Deepening the bottom
 2.Installing hand pump with screen
 3.Filling water with coarse sand & clay
 4.Constructing platform with drainage around
the well.
 5.Raising the edges one foot above the ground
 6.Concrete slab cover over it
 7.Hand-pump for lifting water
 SANITARY WELL
 Sanitary well is one which is properly
located, well constructed & protected
against contamination to supply safest
water.
 The points which should be considered
while constructing sanitary well are:-
 location:-located at a distance of 15mt
from source of contamination & at a
higher level within 100mt from users
house.
 SANITARY WELLL
 lining:-liningis of bricks & stones set in
cement up to depth of 6mt .so that water
enters from bottom not from sides.
 Parapet:-it should be of ht 70-75cm above
the ground.
 Platform:-1mt in diameter of cement
concrete extending in all directions.
 Drain:-pucca drain to carry spilled water
into public drain.
 SANITARY WELL
 Covering:-top should be cover with
cement concrete cover.
 Hand pump:-hand pump for lifting water
in sanitary manner
 Quality: physical, chemical, bacteriological
quality of water should conform to
acceptable standard of safe & wholesome
water.
 SANITARY WELL
 Consumer responsibility:-
 1.Strict cleanliness should be maintain around
the well
 2.Personel ablutions, like washing of clothes &
animals, dumping waste should be prohibited
 3.Ropes & buckets from individual homes for
drawing water is not allowed
 4.Water from well should be carried in clean
sanitary vessels. All these requires health
education.
 TUBE WELL
 They are of two types:-
 Shallow tube well
 Deep tube well/bored well
 Tube wells are successful supply of
drinking water in many parts of India
 SHALLOW WELL
 They are important source of water supply
in rural community
 It consists of a pipe sunk into the water
bearing strata & fitted with a strainer at
bottom & hand pump at the top
 Concrete platform with drain all around
 the area with in 15mt should be kept free
from pollution
 DEEP TUBE WELL
 They are sunk by drilling trough successive
strata of gravel or rock until a suitable supply of
groundwater is located
 They require complicated mechanical drilling
equipment & skilled engineering direction
 The yield is high & does not depend on direct
rainfall
 Chandigarh , derives its entire water supply from
tube wells
 SPRINGS
 When ground water comes to surface & flows freely
under natural pressure it is called `springs’.
 They are of two types :-
 1.Shallow springs:-dry quickly during summer
months
 2.Deep springs:-they don’t show seasonal
fluctuation
 Advantages:-simpler, as no pumping is needed to
bring the water to the surface
 Disadvantage:-they are exposed to contamination.