Understanding Environmental Hygiene

Contaminated water, lack of latrines, poor hand washing, open defecation

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Respiratory infections, cardiovascular diseases, lung cancer

The control of factors in man's physical environment that may affect health and survival

Human excreta control, managing solid waste and wastewater, pest and vector control

Excess noise, heat, dust, chemicals

To result in the spontaneous and long-term renunciation of open defecation practices in rural populations.

Methods of stimulating community enthusiasm to stop open defecation, often through the construction of rudimentary toilets like pit latrines.

Taking steps to boost self-esteem and pride in the community while also instilling feelings of humiliation and disgust over open defecation habits.

A system that transports excreta using dry toilets instead of sewers, often involving urinediverting dry toilets (UDDTs).

A sanitation system that aims to safely reuse excreta in agriculture.

By eliminating the need for hardware subsidies and encouraging communities to take collaborative action to become 'open defecation free'.

Maintaining good environmental hygiene is important to prevent the transmission of gastrointestinal, respiratory illnesses and other diseases that use germs and viruses as vectors.

Cleaning is a mechanical process using detergent and water to remove food residues, dirt, debris and grease, while disinfecting involves using chemicals to kill germs.

Normal cleaning methods, using household detergents and warm water, are considered sufficient to reduce the number of germs in the environment to a safe level.

Effective cleaning involves using a general purpose detergent and warm water, clean cloths and mops, and the mechanical action of wiping/scrubbing. The area should then be rinsed and dried.

Thorough cleaning with detergents can remove all contaminants including dust, dirt, faeces, blood, pus, urine, other body fluids and large numbers of germs.

Apart from the natural surroundings, the environment also includes shelter, modes of transportation and all other products of technology, including pollutants and waste materials.

The main concept discussed is ecological sanitation, which involves recycling nutrients from human and animal wastes into the environment.

Infectious agents like bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and parasites can enter our bodies through contaminated water or air, causing diseases.

Diarrheal diseases can be transmitted through contaminated water containing human fecal matter with infectious agents.

TB and pneumonia are droplet-related infections transmitted through the air contaminated by droplets from an infected person's lungs when they breathe or cough.

Environmental risk factors are environmental conditions and practices that facilitate the carrying of infectious agents into our bodies.

Immediate action is taken to localize excreta disposal and prevent contamination of the water supply.

Cultural and physical factors observed by the populations in excreta disposal are taken into consideration.

Appropriate anal cleaning and hand washing materials are provided.

The Sphere Project recommends that each person should be supplied with at least 250 g of soap per month.

Adequate numbers of latrines should be placed at no more than 50 m from dwellings in a manner that populations (i.e., women and children) can use safely at night.

Before latrines are constructed, trench latrines or defecation fields may be used, and care is taken to place them far away from the general population to ensure that contamination does not occur.