Open AccessWater and health in mining settings in sub-Saharan Africa: A mixed methods geospatial visualization
Author(s) -
Andrea Leuenberger,
Dominik Dietler,
Isaac Lyatuu,
Andrea Farnham,
Fadhila Kihwele,
Fritz Brugger,
Mirko S. Winkler
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
geospatial health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.545
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1970-7096
pISSN - 1827-1987
DOI - 10.4081/gh.2021.965
Subject(s) - geospatial analysis , sanitation , context (archaeology) , environmental planning , water quality , business , water scarcity , water resources , environmental resource management , geography , environmental science , environmental engineering , remote sensing , ecology , archaeology , biology
Industrial mining transforms local landscapes, including important health determinants like clean water and sanitation. In this paper, we combined macro-level quantitative and micro-level qualitative data to show how mining projects affect water infrastructures and ultimately the health of affected communities. Although we observed a positive trend of water infrastructure in mining settings, surrounding communities are also characterized by water scarcity and degradation of water quality. The video at the core of this publication showcases inter-linkages of the findings obtained at both the macro- and the micro-levels, embedding our results in a geospatial context. While mining projects can have positive impacts on the development of local water infrastructure, improved management of negative impacts of mining projects is needed for promoting ‘Good health and well-being’ and ‘Clean water and sanitation’ as promulgated by the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.