Project in Trinidad and Tobago
Assessment of water quality and treatment technologies for disaster preparedness in Trinidad and Tobago
University of Michigan Principal Investigator(s) and unit
Chuanwu Xi, PhD, School of Public Health
International colleague(s) and unit
Vijay Kumar Chattu, MD, MPH, MPhil, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Trinidad & Tobago
Site description
The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is a twin island sovereign state that is the southernmost nation in the Caribbean. The university of West Indies St Augustine campus is situated 15km from the busting capital of one of the Caribbean's most rapid developing island state. The Faculty of Medical Sciences consists of several different training institutions: the Dental School, Medical School, Nursing School, Pharmacy School and the School of Veterinary Medicine and also gives training in Optometry. These differing Programmes offer the trainee a wide array of opportunities to understand how different treatments in medicine are applied and in what circumstances. The University of The West Indies has a proud tradition of producing great clinicians who have contributed handsomely to the growth of their respective fields both in the Caribbean and elsewhere.
Project Description
The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is a twin island sovereign state that is the southernmost nation in the Caribbean. Although water resources in Trinidad and Tobago is relatively abundant, there are several challenges that raise high concerns related to the status of water security in this country. Water quality deterioration in source water including rivers, groundwater and coastal waters due to pollutants from industrial wastes, leaches from landfills, direct discharge of domestic sewages and farms etc. causes the primary issues. Frequent natural disasters including cyclones and flood often disrupt already stressed water supplies. There is no practical policy in place in preparing for providing safe water under disasters and there is a lack of capacity for coping with such situations. We propose the following specific aims of this study to address the data gap and to develop technology and policy options for local communities and governmental agencies to prepare for disasters in supplying safe water under such situations.
Aim 1. Assess the status of WASA and vulnerability of water supply under the situations of natural and manmade disasters in Trinidad and Tobago
Aim 2. Evaluate the effectiveness of available technologies under the situations of natural and manmade disasters in Trinidad and Tobago
MHIRT trainees will participate in preparatory meetings during the winter term to develop the study protocols and will have the opportunity to gain background information on water quality and associated health risks, and about Trinidad. During the summer externship, they will be involved in a survey to collect information from participants, and collection and test of water samples. Students have the potential to become co-authors on eventual publications based on data that they have collected. In addition, the study will provide each student with an opportunity to learn about the lack of access to safe and clean drinking water as a global public health problem, the disparity in access to safe drinking water, and the culture as well as challenges and opportunities of doing research in Trinidad and Tobago.