VEHA
Guidance
Guidance
Virtual Environmental and Humanitarian Adviser Tool – (VEHA Tool) is a tool
to easily integrate environmental considerations in humanitarian response. Field Implementation guidances are useful for the design and execution of humanitarian activities in the field.
The health of people, plants, and animals is directly affected by the environment around them. This includes impacts from air quality, water quality, soil pollutants, as well as disease from poorly managed solid waste, sewage, and the impacts of climate change – changing temperatures, storm intensity, changing rainfall patterns, and disease spread.
Even health facility design – building layout, availability of natural light, natural heating, cooling, and ventilation – availability of green recreational spaces – have a significant impact on people’s feeling of safety, well-being, and mental health.
Ensure environmental determinants of health assessments consider the different impacts on women (e.g. cookstove smoke inhalation; feeling of safety when visiting external latrines or gathering natural resources), as well as on others – children, the elderly, sick, or disabled.
Air pollution
Soil pollution
Water pollution
Deforestation
Desertification
Eutrophication
Climate Change
Loss of biodiversity and ecosystems
Natural resource depletion
Soil erosion
Noise pollution
Visual Intrusion
Cultural acceptance
Impact on mental health
Ice loss / snowmelt
Increased intensity of storms/hurricanes
Increased drought/flood
1. Potential health impacts from air, water, and soil pollution
2. Potential health impacts from radiation, chemicals from industry
3. Health impacts from poor sewage and solid waste management/treatment
4. Potential impacts of climate change on human and flora and fauna health – temperature changes, changes in rainfall, changes in storm intensity, changes in pests and disease
5. Potential benefits from environmental cleanup and provision of green spaces for recreation
1. Potential health impacts from the air, water, and soil pollution
2. Potential health impacts from radiation, chemicals from industry
3. Health impacts from poor sewage and solid waste management/treatment
4. Potential impacts of climate change on human and flora and fauna health – temperature changes, changes in rainfall, changes in storm intensity, changes in pests and disease
5. Potential benefits from environmental cleanup and provision of green spaces for recreation
1. Assess and mitigate potential air, water, and soil pollution health impacts
2. Assess and mitigate existing health impacts from radiation or chemicals or other contaminants from the industry. Locate shelters away from pollution sources
3. Assess and address likely health impacts from poor sewage and solid waste management/treatment
4. Assess likely impacts of climate change. Design shelter, infrastructure, and public service resilience.
5. Identify and promote benefits from environmental clean-up and the provision of designated green spaces.
1. Conduct an assessment of potential health impacts from local air, water, and soil pollution. Plan to reverse or mitigate these or implement non-polluting alternatives through the shelter response
2. Assess existing health impacts from radiation or chemicals or other contaminants from the industry. Plan to mitigate or avoid these or encourage alternatives. Plan for land zoning so people are not located proximate to pollutants
3. Assess existing and potential new health impacts from poor sewage and solid waste management/treatment. Provide new or upgraded shelters with appropriate sewage treatment and disposal and appropriate solid and liquid waste separation, composting, and management including re-use, repurposing, recycling.
4. Assess the likely impacts of climate change on people, flora, and fauna health, such as temperature changes, changes in rainfall, changes in storm intensity, changes in pests and disease. Plan to address these or build in resilience into shelter and shelter infrastructure/services, such as rainwater harvesting, flood resilience, natural heating/cooling / ventilation/light; storm resilience; greywater capture and re-use; suitably sized drainage channels or flood capture ponds and groundwater infiltration areas; consider the need for increasing slope stability through planting or stone gabions
5. Identify and promote benefits from environmental clean-up and provision of designated green spaces for recreation. Promote community gardens; design infrastructure to ensure potentially vulnerable people feel safe
UNICEF responding to the Covid-19 spread in Yemen demonstrated that there were existing trained health staff available in the community who could be incentivised to return to work in the public health sector and help reduce the spread of the disease. Their refresher training included environmental determinants of health.
The number of environmental determinants of health identified and addressed in shelter/camp / infrastructure design.