Humanitarian Action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Humanitarian Action - Essay Example This paper highlights that according to international humanitarian law, the right to water entails the right to sufficient, acceptable, safe, affordable and physically accessible water for both domestic and personal use. In terms of quantity, an adequate amount of water is that amount needed to reduce the threat of water-related diseases, prevent death that could arise out of dehydration, and to cater for cooking, consumption, and domestic and personal hygiene requirements.This study stresses that  the provision of humanitarian support in form of water sanitation and hygiene is important as it is attached to the value of water which is inextricably related to other human right rights such as the right to food, health and housing. This means that sanitation and water are key determinants for survival in the first stages, and indeed all stages, of a disaster. In most cases, vulnerable groups are susceptible to death from disease and illness which are closely related to poor sanitatio n, inadequate water supplies, and inadequate sanitation.  Water and sanitation programmes are mainly aimed at reducing the exposure to disease vectors and transmission  Ã‚   of faeco-oral ailments through the provision of safe drinking water, promotion of good hygiene as well as the reduction of risks that are related to poor hygienic conditions. Closely related to water is sanitation which involves vector control, excreta disposal, drainage and waste disposal.