Assessment of sanitation and drinking water facilities among slum households in Bhubaneswar, Odisha - A cross-sectional study.
J Family Med Prim Care 2023;
12:484-492. [PMID:
37122666 PMCID:
PMC10131972 DOI:
10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1544_22]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Aim
The study aims to assess the practice of using unsafe drinking water and sanitary practices among the population dwelling in slum settings of Bhubaneswar city, Odisha, India.
Subjects and Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 288 households in the Bhubaneswar slums of Chandrasekharpur, Neeladri Vihar, and Trinatha basti. A questionnaire was administered face to face. Descriptive statistics were used to define the participants' sociodemographic characteristics, household information, drinking water, latrine characteristics, and waste disposal.
Results
The majority (59.7%) resided in kutcha households in notified slum areas, and 89.6% were reportedly illiterate. About 92.7% resided in a deplorable condition, relying on piped water (79.5%) from the community sources and 20.5% used it for drinking and household purposes. Around 83% of the respondents stated they did not treat water before consumption. Bathroom facilities were found to be inadequate, and 74.3% used pit latrines. The majority of household wastes (83%) were managed by directly letting them to the drainage system untreated. As a consequence, 91% reported breeding of flies and mosquitoes near their household premises and 70.5% stated having fever in the past 6 months.
Conclusion
Despite the government's initiatives to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) strategies, an extensive gap in practice was observed. As a result, Bhubaneswar municipality must strictly enforce policy and regulatory guidelines concerning WASH to improve the sanitation practices, particularly in the areas of drinking water and household waste management.
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