The effect of environmental health and water supply quality on children's health in Karary locality - Omdurman Area

There are many joint factors that have negative effects on children's health, such as environmental health and water supply quality. Therefore, the importance of this study was emerged to contribute in finding suitable solutions for this problem. The study was done in Khartoum State, Omdurman area mainly Karary locality. Three methodologies were used; field work to collect data about the most common diseases that affect children, water sampling from the drinking wells, questionnaire to collect data about public awareness. Data collected from Omdurman hospital- children emergency unit dealing with the most common diseases that affect children. The data were divided into three categories: category (1) for infants < one year old, category (2) children from 1-4 years old and category (3) from 5-14 years old. This study consists of five chapters: chapter one explains the problem, importance, objectives, limitations, terms and methods of the research. Chapter two is a literature review of environmental health and water pollution. Chapter three explains samples, methodology, and procedures of the research. Chapter four discusses data analysis, discussions and results. Chapter five concentrates on conclusions and recommendations. The results revealed that most of the diseases that attack children were caused due to drinking water quality. Some of the diseases seemed to be very serious regarding the number of incidence and number of children admitted to hospitals especially during February to April 2005. It was also found that pneumonia, tuberculosis, malaria, food poisoning, hepatitis, dysentery, gardiasis, gastro enteritis and diarrhoea, are the most common diseases that attack children, through out the year. The results revealed that there was an environmental problem of housing condition that cause some of the diseases, some of the drinking water wells found to be contaminated and not suitable for human consumption. The study recommendations include income improvement, joint efforts of community and disciplines to find solution for the environmental health problems raising awareness among community regarding children's health and diseases and finally setting a proper system of waste disposal from household level in order to decrease child morbidity rate.(Author)