Abstract
Human interactions with surface water systems, through land-use dynamics, can influence the transmission of infectious water-related diseases. As a result, the aim of our study was to explore and examine the state of scientific evidence on the influences of these interactions on water-related infectious disease outcomes from a global perspective. A systematic review was conducted, using 54 peer-reviewed research articles published between 1995 and August 2019. The study revealed that there has been an increase in the number of publications since 2009; however, few of these publications (n = 6) made explicit linkages to the topic. It was found that urban and agricultural land-use changes had relatively high adverse impacts on water quality, due to high concentrations of fecal matter, heavy metals, and nutrients in surface water systems. Water systems were found as the common “vehicle” for infectious disease transmission, which in turn had linkages to sanitation and hygiene conditions. The study found explicit linkages between human–surface water interaction patterns and the transmission of water-based disease. However, weak and complex linkages were found between land-use change and the transmission of water-borne disease, due to multiple pathways and the dynamics of the other determinants of the disease. Therefore, further research studies, using interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to investigate and enhance a deeper understanding of these complexities and linkages among land use, surface water quality, and water-related infectious diseases, is crucial in developing integrated measures for sustainable water quality monitoring and diseases prevention.
Highlights
The emergence of historical civilizations, human settlements, and agricultural and trade activities along rivers, lakes, and deltas, illustrates the spatial distribution of water and its importance to humans [1,2]
This review study aims to answer the following question: What is the current state of evidence on the interactions between land-use dynamics and surface water systems, and the transmission of water-related infectious diseases (WRID)? The review scope and the review process were conducted on a global scale
This section presents the results of 54 peer-reviewed research articles included in this review. These studies were categorized based on the linkages between land use and surface water systems, land use and water pollution and WRID, and influences of land use, surface water
Summary
The emergence of historical civilizations, human settlements, and agricultural and trade activities along rivers, lakes, and deltas, illustrates the spatial distribution of water and its importance to humans [1,2]. The quality of water from these sources is deteriorated by human activities [2,3]. The status of water resources (quality and quantity) is largely influenced by human activities, such as water abstraction and water pollution, which are partly related to land-use change [4]. Land-use and land-cover change (LULC) influence numerous elements within water systems at diverse spatio-temporal scales [5,6]. LULC within watersheds has effects on stormwater runoff and flooding, which are major processes in the transportation of domestic and industrial effluents, sediments. Land use (LU) is generally described as the type of human activities that occur on the land, towards the achievement of socio-economic growth and development [7,8].
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