Our living environment is composed of home, work and recreational centres where people spend their time. Water, air and food are our concern. The provision of environmental health services extends to all these aspects of our lives.

List the locations in your kebele where environmental health is important.

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You may have thought of a list that includes the following, but the detail will depend on your own kebele:

workplaces: health facilities, local workplaces, public offices, shops, mill house, metal and wood works
schools
social places: church, mosque
homes: different types of home in your area.

It is important to know the different parts of your kebele so that you can promote better hygiene in all areas. The interaction of the environment and possible environmental hazards are indicated in Figure 1.3. These different types of hazard will be discussed in Study Session 2.

The system of environmental health

Figure 1.3 The system of environmental health. The human living environment consists of home, work and recreational environments. The interaction between these environments and human activities results in various types of hazards that may adversely affect human health. (Source: adapted from Bassett, 2004)