Community level research on water health and global change: where have we been? Where are we going?

The changes that are occurring as a result of global environmental change have spurred a great interest within governments and the scientific community, with the realization that it is a threat to large numbers of populations in all regions of the globe. Ensuing research for answers highlights the need to build resiliency, to adapt and mitigate the impacts. At the community level, especially rural communities, the low adaptive capacity resulting from poor health infrastructure and limited resources are challenges in the context of stresses on the availability of safe water, injuries resulting from floods and storms, shortage of drinking water because of droughts, redistribution and/or increase of vector-borne infections and other infectious diseases related to poor sanitation, poor nutrition related to agricultural disruption, and sea-level rise causing saline intrusion into drinking water. These challenges will require research agendas with practical detail and multidisciplinary approaches.

► Community level research on the interrelationships between water health and global change reveals many gaps and is still lacking in practical detail.
► Health impacts brought on by water-related environmental change are influenced by a complex combination of factors, and future research needs to take on a more integrated multidisciplinary approach.
► Research on water health and global impact needs to be strengthened in the vulnerable regions of West Asia, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa, especially around areas of potential water scarcity stress.