Year of Award
2009
Document Type
Professional Paper
Degree Type
Master of Science (MS)
Degree Name
Geography
Department or School/College
Department of Geography
Committee Chair
Sarah Halvorson
Commitee Members
Florence Dunkel, Jeffery Gritzner
Keywords
childhood diarrhea, Mali, Niger River, water hygiene, water quality, women
Publisher
University of Montana
Abstract
This paper presents the findings of a study to assess patterns in local knowledge of and response to water quality and waterborne diseases in relation to seasonal changes in the Niger River Inland Delta. The study draws on field data collected in four villages along the Niger River in the Mopti district of Mali during September 2008. The major findings suggest: (1) water use behaviors and diarrheal disease management are influenced by the tremendous seasonal fluctuations in the riverine environment; (2) local awareness of the relationship between poor water quality, oral-fecal disease transmission, and waterborne disease is low; (3) interventions to mitigate the high incidence of childhood diarrhea and degraded water quality are limited by ongoing socio-economic, cultural, and institutional factors; and (4) women’s level of health knowledge is socially and culturally dependent.
Recommended Citation
Williams, Ashley Lauren, "WATER QUALITY AND WATERBORNE DISEASE ALONG THE NIGER RIVER, MALI: A STUDY OF LOCAL KNOWLEDGE AND RESPONSE" (2009). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 1174.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/1174
© Copyright 2009 Ashley Lauren Williams