WATER CRISIS, SANITATION PRACTICES AND WOMENS MENSTRUAL HEALTH

Water, air and light are the three essentials for survival and sustenance of human life. The lack of any one of these makes life difficult. Of these, air and light remain available whereas the water crisis is deepening everywhere. Given the water scarcity in the low income settings, the women are the worst sufferer, for they are expected to manage water even if they have to walk miles to fetch water. Among several consequences the water crisis negatively affects sanitation and hygiene in the immediate setting, adversely affecting living environment. At the personal level, the women and girls are unable to practice sanitary hygiene thus leading to morbidity and disease burden. The poor women due to their low ability to afford scientifically designed hygienic sanitary napkins are compelled to use and re-use old clothes. The water scarcity makes it difficult for them wash and rewash the used clothes. Such unhygienic practices endanger women health. In the backdrop of which this paper deals with the inter-linkages between women and water at the domestic and personal level, as well and analyses the effects of these inter-linkages on women health.