Assessment of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Practices Among Households in Owerri West Local Government Area, Imo State, Nigeria

Orji S. Mercy¹ , Ede A. Okorie² , Osuoji J. Nkechi³ , Nwazunku A. Alugbala⁴ , Anyanwu E. O⁵ , Ihekwoaba E. Nwaoma⁶ , Nnamdi O. Mbaegbu⁷ , Opara M. Chigozie⁸ , Ogbonna M. Chidiadi⁹

Section:Research Paper, Product Type: Journal-Paper
Vol.10 , Issue.2 , pp.1-7, Feb-2024

Online published on Feb 28, 2024

Copyright © Orji S. Mercy, Ede A. Okorie, Osuoji J. Nkechi, Nwazunku A. Alugbala, Anyanwu E. O, Ihekwoaba E. Nwaoma, Nnamdi O. Mbaegbu, Opara M. Chigozie, Ogbonna M. Chidiadi . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 

View this paper at   Google Scholar | DPI Digital Library

XML View     PDF Download

How to Cite this Paper

Abstract :
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are very important to the well-being and health of people. Also, it is not only a requirement for health, but it contributes to the life development of people in the society, enhances school attendance for children and helps to create good health for people living in pliant environments. This study aimed to assess the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices in Owerri West Local Government Area, Imo state. A cross-sectional descriptive design was adopted using a multi-stage sampling technique to recruit a total of 443 participants and using a questionnaire and checklist as instruments for the data collection process. The collected data were entered into computer software (Microsoft excel and analysed by using IBM-SPSS statistics version 23). The results of this study was presented in tables (frequency and percentage) and charts. The findings showed that 59.6% of the respondents lack access to potable water supply. Concerning the main source of water supply used by the community, 46.9% reported public taps, 5.3% reported stream/river/well, 29.5% reported hand pumps. Out the 443 respondents, majority (47.7%) treated their drinking water by boiling and only 27% use improved pit latrine, 24.4% use pit flush toilet while 2.3% practice open defecation. Majority of the respondents (69.6%) do wash their hands after defecation. In terms of waste disposal, 32.6% reported open dumping practice, 61.5% reported clean toilet, 29.8% said they had washing basin in the toilet, 53.8% said available of cleaning materials, 76.5% said presence of water supply. In conclusion, the findings of this study showed some level of improvement with the provision of a good supply of water for human use. It also recorded a good practice of hand washing among the household members. However, sanitation and hygiene are still a major challenge since a considerable proportion of respondents do not treat their drinking water. Therefore, the recommendations should include; uninterrupted campaigns among the household people and beyond toward proper disposal of household waste, engagement in the promotion of good hygiene practices (hand-washing with soap and water, water treatment before use and involvement of community participation in clean-up exercises.

Key-Words / Index Term :
Assessment, Household, Hygiene, Sanitation, Water

References :
[1] Yaya S, Hudani, A, Udenigwe, O, Shah, V, Ekholuenetale, M & Bishwajit, G. Improving water, sanitation and hygiene practices, and housing quality to prevent diarrhea among under-five children in Nigeria. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, Vol. 3, Issue 2, pp.41-52, 2018.
[2] IWA (6th International Water Association Regional Workshop). Promotion of Tap Water Drinking and Public Relation Practices in Water Utilities Water Safety Plans, IWA (International Water Association), Beijing, China. 6th IWA-JWWA Workshop. Pp. 1-14, 2011.
[3] World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Launch version July 12 2017,” in Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene—2017 Update and SDG Baselines, WHO Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data, Geneva, Switzerland. pp. 1-44, 2017.
[4] WHO. Water Sanitation and Hygiene: Transforming the Regional Agenda towards Equitable Access to Safe and Sustainable Services, World Health Organization, Copenhagen, Denmark. 2017 Annual report. pp.4-35, 2017.
[5] Prüss-Ustün, A, Wolf, I, & Bartram J. Burden of disease from inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene for selected adverse health outcomes: an updated analysis with a focus on low- and middle-income countries, International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. Vol. 222, Issue 5, pp. 765–777. 2019;
[6] WHO. Water safety plans: risk-based preventive management of drinking-water supplies, in Proceedings of the 3rd Municipal Water Quality Conference, Cape Town, South Africa. pp.1-9, 2011
[7] Isa, M. S, Allamin, I. A, Ismail, HY, & Shettima, A. “Physiochemical and bacteriological analysis of drinking water from wash boreholes in Maiduguri Metropolis, Borno state, Nigeria,” African Journal of Food Science, 2013; 7(1): 9–13.
[8] Hyeladi A, & Nwagilari, J. E. Assessment of drinking water quality of Alau dam Maiduguri, Borno state, Nigeria, International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Vol.4 Issue 10, pp.2250–3153, 2014.
[9] Lukman, S, A, Ismail, A, Asani, M. A., Bolorunduro, K. A, Foghi, PU & Oke, I. A. Effect of Selected factors on water supply and access to safe water in Nigeria,” Ife Journal of Science, Vol.18, Issue 3, pp.13-21, 2016.
[10] Obeta, M. C. Rural water supply in Nigeria: policy gaps and future directions, Water Policy. Vol. 20, Issue 3, pp. 597–616, 2018
[11] Kaoje, A, Yahaya, M, Raji, M, Hadiza, S, Sylvanus A, & Musa T. Drinking water quality, sanitation and hygiene practices in a rural community of Sokoto state, Nigeria. International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health. Vol. 7, Issue 11, pp.12-18. 2019.
[12] Merga, N. & Alemayehu, T. Knowledge, perception, and management skills of mothers with under-five children about diarrhoeal disease in indigenous and resettlement communities in Assosa District, Western Ethiopia. Western Ethiopia: J. Health Popul Nutr. Vol. 5, Issue 1, pp.10-18. 2015.
[13] Emmanuel, O. A, Prossy, A., Abdul-Azeez, A. S, & Eunice, S. Spatial analysis of factors responsible for incidence of water borne disease in Ile Ife, Nigeria. J. Sustainable Society. Vol. 1, Issue 4, pp. 96–113. 2012.
[14] Adeleye B, Medayese, S & Okelola, O. Problems of water supply and sanitation in Kpakumgu area of Minna (Nigeria), Glocalism: Journal of culture, politics and innovation, Vol. 12, pp. 34-42, 2014.
[15] Hothur, R., Arepalli, S, & Veera Bhadreshwara, A. D. A KAP study on water, sanitation and hygiene among residents of Parla village, Kurnool district, AndraPradesh, International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health. Vol. 6, Issue 5, pp. 208- 218, 2019.
[16] Eremutha, F, Hammed B, Taiwo, Sridhar, M. K. C, & Aluko Olufemi, A. Evaluation of sanitary conditions in kuje market in Abuja, Nigeria with diverse cultural practices and provision of a dry ecological toilet system. Sociology and Anthropology, 2016; Vol.4, Issue11, pp. 1011–1019, 2016.
[17] WHO. Water Sanitation and Hygiene in Health Care Facilities: Practical Steps to Achieve Universal Access, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. 2016
[18] Okullo J. O, Moturi, W. N, & Morara, G. O. Open defacation and its effects on the bacteriological quality of drinking water sources inisiolo country, Kenya. Environ. Health Insights. Vol. 3, Issue 11, pp. 1–8, 2017.
[19] Sesay, B. P., Hakizimana, J. L., Elduma, A. H., & Gebru, G. N. Assessment of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Practices Among Households, 2019? Sierra Leone: A Community-based Cluster Survey. Environmental Health Insights. pp. 16-20, 2022.
[20] Johnson, R. C., Boni, G., &Barogui, Y. Assessment of water, sanitation, and hygiene practices and associated factors in a Buruli ulcer endemic district in Benin (West Africa), BMC Public Health, 2015; 15: 801.
[21] Osuji I.E., Azuamah Y.C., Amadi A.N., Esenwah E.C., Agu G.C & Nwala O.R. Water Sanitation Practices in Obowo, Southeastern Nigeria. International Journal of Research (IJR), 2014; Vol. 1, Issue 10, pp. 12-15, 2014.
[22] Orimoloye, E. O, Amadi, C. O. A, Amadi A. N. Assessment of water sanitation and hygiene practices in Ibadan. International Journal of Research. Vol. 2, Issue 2, pp. 94–100, 2015.
[23] Santiso, R. Effects of chronic parasitosis on women`s health`, International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics Second World Report on Women`s Health. Vol. 58, Issue 1, pp. 129-136, 2017.