MCGH Forums 2022: Water-sanitation management and reduced environmental contamination

By Murdoch Children's Research Institute

Revitalising informal settlements and their environments project (RISE) Professor Karin Leder will talk about the transdisciplinary RISE project, which is investigating the impact of improved water-sanitation management and reduced environmental contamination on health outcomes among residents living in informal communities in Fiji and Indonesia. The project works with communities, governments, local leaders and partner institutions to demonstrate that nature-based solutions – such as wetlands and bio-filtration gardens – can deliver sustainable, cost-effective health and environmental improvements for those living in informal settlements.

Watershed interventions for systems health (WISH Fiji) project - transforming place-based management within watersheds Dr Aaron P. Jenkins will talk about the watershed interventions for systems health in Fiji (WISH Fiji) project. The project embraces participatory knowledge co-production and action-oriented research to identify risks, prioritize interventions and monitor responses. We used screening filters and local knowledge to identify five watersheds for action with high incidence of water-related diseases (Fiji’s “three plagues” of leptospirosis, typhoid, and dengue) and high risk to downstream environmental health. WISH Fiji is a systems model of cross-sectoral coordination, efficiently progressing many Sustainable Development Goals, but requires sustained investment in interventions across nested scales to realize full benefits, particularly for nature-based solutions that exhibit lagged responses.