Via Flickr
Hygiene & Health Care
Besides human waste, the two other primary concerns dealing with sanitation involve hygiene and health care considerations. These both encompass how important access to clean water can be, how this is achieved, and who is unevenly affected by it within Kibera. Formal water distribution in Kibera and other slums alike is non existent. For this reason, water is consistently scarce and often taken illegally from city pipes (Lusambili, 2007, 146). Due to the prevalent lack of water and income, people in Kibera are forced to view basic sanitary actions as untenable which may have larger consequences than simply immediate health and well being. Being able to obtain soap and water in order to maintain regular hygiene care is extremely difficult for a large portion of the population. This could lead to a general disillusionment with such practices.
Bathing in Kibera is slightly more common than hand washing, yet no less problematic. There is little running water, and discarding of dirty water (usually in the street) attracts mosquitos and enables the spread of disease (Lusambili, 2007, 151). Women have less access to bathing than men as it is most often done at night in the street, where little privacy is afforded. Women living in Kibera, therefore, are the most susceptible to illness. They are limited by poor hygiene practices, and at risk from environmental effects of living in a slum. These issues combined are the leading causes of illness (Lusambili, 2007, 62).
Via Flickr
Lusambili, A. M. (2007). Environmental sanitation and gender among the urban poor: A case study of the kibera slum, kenya (Order No. 3273599). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (304893454). Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/304893454?accountid=14656