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Malaria
and Water Management
For
the past decades, most malaria research has focused on preventing
the disease through the use of chemical pesticides or the development
of pharmaceuticals. The water management angle —as cause and
potential remedy to the situation— has received little attention.
But
now, as mosquitoes are becoming more resistant to pesticides and
many drugs are losing their effectiveness against the malaria parasite,
finding water management-based interventions is becoming an increasingly
important alternative.
It
is vital to gain a better understanding of the influence that irrigation
and agricultural activities have on the spread of malaria —
especially as developing countries extend their irrigated areas
to feed rapidly growing populations. Faced with this trend, there
is a real danger that the incidence of malaria and other vector-borne
diseases, such as Japanese encephalitis and filaria, will increase
unless the management of many agro-ecosystems is improved.
To
address this problem IWMI's Water, Health and Environment research
is studying irrigation-related malaria in the three main climatic
and geographic areas where it affects the highest number of the
world's poor. These are:
One
of IWMI's research goals is to produce scientifically validated
conclusions that describe the health, institutional and hydrological
factors that must fit together for countries to create an effective
malaria prevention strategy using water management. IWMI researchers
play a crucial role in the development of SIMA, the CGIAR Future
Harvest System-wide Initiative on Malaria and Agriculture.
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Although
epidemiological and transmission patterns vary greatly from
one country to the next, the book, which documents the successes
and failures of control efforts in Sri Lanka, will also be
of interest to the international community engaged in research
on and control of malaria.
To
order please send your request to iwmi.publications@cgiar.org.
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Impacts of climate variability
on malaria transmission and the development of an early warning
system
A program to incorporate climate variability and forecast
information into malaria risk maps for the malaria-endemic
Uva Province in Sri Lanka.
more
information>>
Malaria risk mapping, Volta
Region
To develop a Decision Support System (DSS) for policy
makers in both Ghana and Burkina Faso to optimize water allocation within the Volta basin.
more information >>
Urban
malaria, West Africa
Investigating if urban (irrigated) agriculture increases the
risk for malaria in Ghana.
more information>>
Malaria
risk mapping, Sri Lanka
Developing a malaria risk map for Sri Lanka; exploring the
utility of IWMI-developed information technologies and products
in malaria risk mapping and epidemic forecasting.
more information>>
Water
management for malaria control in tank cascade systems, Sri
Lanka
Understanding the links between vector breeding and tank cascade
irrigation systems and identifying options for control.
more information>>
Alternate
wet and dry irrigation of rice for malaria control
Evaluating wet and dry irrigation practices to determine their
impact on mosquito breeding and agricultural productivity
- in India, Kenya and Sri Lanka.
more information>>
Large-scale
irrigation systems and malaria, Pakistan
Identifying water management options for controlling malaria
in canal irrigation systems in South Asia.
more information>>
Environmental
control of malaria vector in paddy rice
To develop and test and operational routine for alternate
wet and dry irrigation in paddy rice that improves agricultural
production and reduces vector breeding.
more information>>
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What
are the links between malaria and water management in
agriculture?
How
can irrigation management help control mosquito breeding?
What
practices could help small farmers reduce malaria?
Will
reducing the salinity of soil and water through improved
drainage cause a resurgence of malaria in irrigated
arid and semiarid areas?
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SIMA,
the CGIAR
Future
Harvest System-wide Initiative on Malaria and Agriculture,
focuses the combined skills and abilities of the agricultural
and health research community, government agencies, and community-based
organizations, on the problem of malaria in agricultural areas.
Under SIMA, research will study water, land, crops and livestock
practices across a range of agro-ecosystems in Africa to determine
the farming activities that encourage, and discourage, the
breeding of malaria vector mosquitoes or change the transmission
of malaria. Based on this research, guidelines and tools will
be developed
and tested for use in community- based efforts and NGO and
government initiatives.
Find
out more about SIMA at: www.iwmi.org/sima
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