Approaches to safe water, environmental sanitation, and hygiene in the Democratic Republic of Congo – editorial

Dear Editor, Access to safe water, a healthy environment, and good hygiene practices are critical to the health and livelihood of families. The availability of water, sanitation, and hygiene services in families helps to prevent infections, the spread of disease, and preserve the dignity of vulnerable populations (especially pregnant women and under-5 children). In low-income countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), these services are not provided to the entire population1. Currently, the DR Congo is facing several potentially epidemic and endemic diseases such as Ebola, malaria, cholera, measles, and many others2. All these diseases have several causes and implications, including those related to the environment, water, and hygiene3. Environmental preservation is one of the three pillars of sustainable development, hence the link between health and the environment. In the DR Congo, access to improved sanitation is much lower than access to safe water; hand washing and safe disposal of fecal sludge are almost unknown practices, posing a risk to public health4. Simply having or providing a supply of fresh, clean water will go a long way toward reducing water-related diseases. Good hygiene practices and access to safe sanitation facilities are essential to control major health threats (especially for children under-5), particularly diarrhea5. In DR Congo, as in other African countries, water, sanitation, and hygiene services are less accessible to the majority of their populations, especially those living in rural areas, with many consequences including increased infections, increased contagious diseases, and a very high death rate6. We therefore recommend that the Congolese government and its Ministry of Public Health build latrines and cesspools (sewers dug in the ground to evacuate wastewater and rainwater), in order to secure the health of the populations that are vulnerable to diseases caused by the lack of drinking water, a healthy environment, and good hygiene. Communication about the risks of developing diseases due to lack of clean water and good hygiene helps to raise awareness of the consequences of poor hygiene practices on health. This participatory approach allows people to analyze their own health conditions and find solutions together. Access to safe water and basic sanitation at home should not be a privilege but a priority. These are basic health services and it is the responsibility of all countries to ensure that everyone has access to them. Ethical approval Not applicable. Consent Not applicable. Sources of funding No funding was received for this work. Author contribution A.A.: conception and supervision; H.C.: design; C.B.: administrative support; M.O.O., M.K.M., and M.N.: manuscript preparation; H.C. and R.F.B.: manuscript editing; A.A., S.B., and M.O.O.: manuscript reviewing. All authors were involved in the final approval of the manuscript. Conflicts of interest disclosure The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Registration of research studies Name of the registry: not applicable. Unique identifying number or registration ID: not applicable. Hyperlink to your specific registration (must be publicly accessible and will be checked): not applicable. Guarantor Chrispin Biamba, Faculty of Medicine, University of Goma, Goma, The Democratic Republic of Congo. E-mail: [email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5592-0854. Provenance and peer review Not commissioned, externally peer-reviewed.