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While June is a “cloud cover” month in Africa, temperatures are still

considered sweltering hot during the summer months. While some
areas of the world are fortunate to have sanitary water, Niger does
not. On Niger’s hottest days of the year, temperatures can range from
83 to 106 degrees [https://weatherspark.com/m/47072/6/Average-
Weather-in-June-in-Niamey-Niger]  Fahrenheit.
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Not having quality water and safe sanitation practices can make it a
challenge to keep cool and hydrated in the Sahara. While clean water
impacts overall health, there are many ways water impacts mental
health as well. TAKE ACTI ON

Call Congress

The Lack of Water in Niger Email Congress

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Water is a basic human necessity to live. Because the body is made up 30 Ways to Help
of at least 60 percent water [http://www.businessinsider.com/how-
Volunteer Ops
many-days-can-you-survive-without-water-2014-5] , the body needs
water to help regulate body temperature and empty waste. Internships

Stay Informed with E-

Half the population of Niger does not have access to clean water. This
Alerts
means that the people of Niger do not have access to proper drinking
water, hygiene methods, spaces to rid their bodies of waste and are
unable to replenish their bodies with water, causing just over 11,500
deaths [https://www.wateraid.org/where-we-work/niger] of children
under ve years old each year.

How Water Impacts Mental Health

Among physical health concerns, clean water and proper hydration

also a ect mental health. Three ways water impacts mental health
are:

1. Circulation

2. Mood and energy

3. Ability to process

If a person is not inputting water into their system as quickly as it is

being released, the body becomes dehydrated. However, prior to
physical symptoms or awareness, the brain’s neurons have already
detected dehydration
[https://psychcentral.com/news/2012/02/20/dehydration-in uences-
mood-cognition/35037.html] within the body, lowering circulation,
energy and the ability to cognitively function or process.

The brain and the heart are the two main reservoirs of water
[https://www.aifc.com.au/how-important-is-water-hydration-to-
mental-health/] within the human body. When the body is
dehydrated it a ects circulation, which means lack of blood ow and
oxygen to the brain, altering physical and mental activity.

Because lack of water can cause such fatigue, this can have a quick
impact on mood stability and cognitive function. For example, fatigue
might accompany anxiety or irritability, causing a higher emotional
reaction to circumstances. It also a ects the way in which men and
women process or perceive surroundings, tasks and situations.
Dehydration, whether physical, mental or both, can cause a lack of
concentration, reaction time, memory, and reasoning.
Improving Water to Improve Mental Health in Niger

In 2011, the World Bank and World Health Organization partnered

with the African Minister’s Council on Water to make nancing
sanitation e orts in 2015 and beyond
[http://wsp.org/sites/wsp.org/ les/publications/CSO-Niger.pdf] a
priority in 32 countries, including Niger. These e orts include making
sanitation, hygiene and quality water a political priority, founding
community-led programs and providing quality water to
disadvantaged areas.

The amount of water that one should replenish back into the body
depends on the person, activity and climate. Given that Niger
residents reside in 80 percent of the Sahara Desert, residents of Niger
may need to replenish their bodies with more water than the average
person. While safe water is essential for drinking, cooking and keeping
clean, water impacts mental health in such a way that it is essential for
emotional and mental well-being also.

– Ashley Cooper

Photo: Flickr [https://www. ickr.com/photos/d d/5331075382/in/photolist-eekhDW-kMAQc6-fULFF5-

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JUNE 24, 2018

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