Division of Global Health and Humanitarian Medicine, Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Collaborating Centre for Oxford University and CUHK for Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Apr 8;16(7):1254. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16071254.
Water security is essential for maintaining health and well-being, and for reducing a population's vulnerability in a disaster. Among resource-poor villagers in China, water-related disasters and climate change may increasingly affect people's water security. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between perceived water security and disaster risk perception in a rural ethnic minority community. A cross-sectional household survey was conducted in 2015 in Xingguang village, Chongqing, China, examining the association between villagers' perceptions of household water security, disaster risk, and sociodemographic variables. Among 52 household representatives, 84.6% relied on rainwater as their main water source and 63.5% reported having insufficient water on a regular basis. Only 32.7% perceived themselves to be living in a high-risk area, of which climate-related disasters such as storms (44.4%) and droughts (38.9%) were the most frequently reported disasters in their area. Insufficient water quantity, previous disaster experience, and household members on chronic disease medication were found to be associated with higher disaster risk perception. Perceived water security indicators were not found to be predictors of preparedness attitudes and coping ability. Addressing water sufficiency in both disaster risk reduction strategies and long-term water management will be necessary to improve the health and livelihood of rural villagers in the coming decades.
水安全对于维护健康和福祉以及降低人口在灾害中的脆弱性至关重要。在中国资源匮乏的农村地区，与水有关的灾害和气候变化可能会越来越多地影响人们的水安全。本研究旨在探讨农村少数民族社区中感知水安全与灾害风险感知之间的关系。2015 年在中国重庆星光村进行了一次横断面家庭调查，考察了村民对家庭用水安全、灾害风险以及社会人口学变量的感知之间的关联。在 52 户家庭代表中，84.6%依靠雨水作为主要水源，63.5%报告说他们经常没有足够的水。只有 32.7%的人认为自己生活在高风险地区，其中风暴（44.4%）和干旱（38.9%）等与气候有关的灾害是他们所在地区最常报告的灾害。研究发现，水量不足、以前的灾害经历以及患有慢性病的家庭成员与更高的灾害风险感知有关。感知水安全指标与准备态度和应对能力无关。在未来几十年，为了改善农村村民的健康和生计，有必要在减少灾害风险策略和长期水资源管理中解决供水充足问题。
