Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene March - April 2017 Vol.12 No.2 | Page 41

Publications and sanitation services ( WSS ) central to economic growth and to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals . But sustainable provision of these services , particularly in small towns , presents challenges that may require new approaches to planning , financing , and service delivery . This guidance note on the principles of town WSS provides a methodology for setting targets and mobilizing resources to achieve these targets . The key activities proposed include : clarifying key actors ’ roles , consulting with users , defining service levels based on user preferences and willingness to pay , confirming investment sources , phasing in investments incrementally to reflect demand , analyzing costs and revenues realistically , identifying professional support , establishing systems for monitoring progress , and allowing for periodic review and revision of the business plan .
Citation
“ Pilgrim , Nick ; Roche , Bob ; Kalbermatteni , John ; Revels , Cathy ; Kariuki , Mukami . 2008 . Town Water Supply and Sanitation : Challenges , Solutions , and Guidelines . Water P-Notes ; No . 12 . World Bank , Washington , DC . © World Bank . https :// openknowledge . worldbank . org / handle / 10986 / 11761 License : CC BY 3.0 Unported .”
URI http :// hdl . handle . net / 10986 / 11761
New mosquito net technology to combat insecticide resistance
A new type of mosquito net which combines two classes of insecticide has been shown to kill resistant mosquitoes which survive exposure to standard pyrethroid treated nets .
The authors of the study , which is published in PLOS ONE , describe the findings as a breakthrough in the development of new types of long lasting insecticide treated nets ( LLIN ) which can meet the challenge of malaria control where standard nets show signs of failing due to insecticide resistance .
The research was conducted by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine , who worked in partnership with the chemical company BASF SE and the Innovative Vector Control Consortium to develop and evaluate the new type of net , Interceptor ® G2 . The net combines two insecticides : chlorfenapyr and the pyrethroid alphacypermethrin in a long-lasting wash resistant formulation .
The study evaluated the net in laboratory tests and in
experimental hut trials in Benin .
Long-lasting insecticide treated nets ( LLIN ) that kill the Anopheline mosquitoes which transmit malaria are the most widely used method to prevent the disease . Over half the population of sub-Saharan Africa now sleep under LLIN and this has helped to reduce malaria cases by a third over the last 15 years .
Until now , nets have been wholly dependent on pyrethroids as the only class of insecticide that is safe to use on LLIN . Resistance to the pyrethoids in malarial mosquitoes has become common across Africa in recent years and threatens further progress unless new types of insecticide which are safe to use on LLIN can be developed .
Professor Mark Rowland , Research Coordinator and study author , said : “ Our results are extremely encouraging and represent an important breakthrough in long lasting net development . We found that in field trials under household conditions the new net killed over 70 % of pyrethoid-resistant Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes that entered the houses to feed , whereas the standard pyrethroid net killed only 20 %. The mosquito mortality rates achieved by the new net are similar to those seen with the standard pyrethroid net 10 years ago , when mosquitoes were fully susceptible to pyrethroids before resistance began to take hold .
“ Very importantly , the long lasting formulation retained insecticidal activity on the net after 20 washes in soap solution , which meets the WHO benchmark for long lasting insecticide treated nets .”
Publication
• Raphael N ’ Guessan , Abibatou Odjo , Corine Ngufor , David Malone , Mark Rowland , A Chlorfenapyr Mixture Net Interceptor ® G2 Shows High Efficacy and Wash Durability against Resistant Mosquitoes in West Africa . PLOS ONE . DOI : 10.1371 / journal . pone . 0165925
Transboundary water management – why it is important and why it needs to be developed
Summary
Managing interdependencies of transboundary waters is one of the human development challenges facing the international community . In many aspects water is among the most ‘ shared ’ resources on Earth . Some 276 river basins cross the political boundaries of two or more countries , and about 40 % of the world ’ s population lives in river and lake basins that cross international borders . This article acknowledges the need for a cooperative management framework and how that might be achieved .
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