Emergency & Disaster Relief

According to Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, in a disaster situation, the provision of safe water and sanitation solutions, and especially hygiene promotion, are vital to reduce the spread of epidemic diseases. Resources available in this sub-theme include case studies of disaster response, overviews of ongoing support to emergencies, and other resources related to WASH provision in disasters.

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Emergency & Disaster Relief Resources

When Legionnaire's Disease Strikes, City Turns to Xylem for Water Disinfection

Xylem, Inc.
The quick installation of a Xylem ultraviolet system is helping Warstein, Germany combat an outbreak of Legionnaire's disease caused by bacteria in the municipal wastewater treatment plant.Read more

Jordan: Complex Crises Fund (CCF) Mid-Cycle Portfolio Review (MPR)

Published: 
March 18, 2014
U.S. Agency for International Development
Responding to potential instability resulting from increasing populations of Syrian refugees in the Jordan's Northern Governorates of Irbid and Mafraq, USAID Jordan received $20 Million in resources from the Complex Crises Fund (CCF) to support Phase II implementation of the Community Based...Read more
Regional focus: 
JordanMiddle East and North Africa

ISIS Flood Risk Management Tool

CH2M HILL
ISIS, developed by CH2M HILL, provides users with a flexible and cost-effective range of tools to help understand and manage the challenges associated with flood risk. Read more

Impacts of Climate-Related Hazardous Events on Drinking Water and Sanitation Coverage: Determining Vulnerability and Preparedness

The Water Institute at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
Climate change is projected to alter the global hydrologic cycle, causing increasing intensification and variability in precipitation. These changes will adversely impact water and sanitation coverage. The severity of these climate-related hazardous events on drinking water and sanitation systems...Read more

USAID: Water and Sanitation

U.S. Agency for International Development
This resource is the homepage for the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) work on water and sanitation. From this page, users can navigate through case studies, as well as lessons learned and best practices. Users will also find the Water and Development Strategy available on...Read more

What Can Communities Do About Lead in Drinking Water?

Published: 
July 13, 2021
An estimated 6 million leaded service lines(link is external) deliver drinking water to households across the United States, and when these lines leach lead into drinking water, it poses a serious public health problem. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, states and cities are working to issue...Read more
Regional focus: 
United States

Environmental justice and drinking water quality: are there socioeconomic disparities in nitrate levels in U.S. drinking water?

Published: 
July 13, 2021
Low-income and minority communities often face disproportionately high pollutant exposures. The lead crisis in Flint, Michigan, has sparked concern about broader socioeconomic disparities in exposures to drinking water contaminants. Nitrate is commonly found in drinking water, especially in...Read more
Regional focus: 
United States

Health consequences of drought in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region: hotspot areas and needed actions

Published: 
July 13, 2021
Over the past four decades, drought episodes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) of the World Health Organization (WHO) have gradually become more widespread, prolonged, and frequent. We aimed to map hotspot countries and identified key strategic actions for health consequences. A series of...Read more

Making the Invisible Visible: Results of a Community-Led Health Survey Following PFAS Contamination of Drinking Water in Merrimack, New Hampshire

Published: 
July 13, 2021
In March 2016, citizens of Merrimack, New Hampshire, learned that their public water supply was contaminated with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). A subsequent state-led investigation revealed widespread contamination of both public and private well water with PFOA and several related chemicals,...Read more
Regional focus: 
United States

Water, Security and U.S. Foreign Policy

Published: 
July 16, 2021
Water scarcity has created a context of human and societal need wherein water stress has undermined the vitality of rural livelihoods, driven broad migratory movements, become a weapon of war, contributed to the growth of insurgencies and terrorist networks and given rise to increased demand for U...Read more
Regional focus: 
Global

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