Assessment of Water Handling Practices among Rural Communities of Dire Dawa Administrative Council, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of knowledge and hygienic practices of the community on bacteriological quality of drinking water at the source and point of use. community based cross-sectional study was conducted using questionnaire, inspection check list to observe the condition of water sources, and bacteriological water quality examination of sources and household containers. The study was conducted during February-May 2011 in rural Communitie Council. Three hundred eighty four households were selected using systematic random sampling method to assess the knowledge and hygienic practices of the community and gathered by health extension worker under strict supervisi supervisors. Bacteriological examination of six water sources systematically selected household containers was carried out by using Oxfam DelAgua water testing kit. Almost all of the water sources were subjected to contamin score. There is a significant variation between the bacteriological analysis of source water and household drinking water samples. Educational status was the only variables which was significant after adjustment of other socio demographic, Knowledge and practices variables. However other variables like: types of household containers, washing of containers before transferring, methods of water withdrawal, duration of stored water and cover of container during transportation and storage were significant in bivariate analysis but not in multivariate analysis. This may be due to confounding effects of different variables. high sanitary risk score were highly subjected to bacteriological con feacal coliform almost tripled at household level, because of poor household management INTRODUCTION Water is the essence of life and safe drinking water is a basic human right essential to all, and for sustainable development. It is known that water is our most precious resource, vital to our economy, our daily lives and to the health of our environment. Water and sanitation inadequacies hinder economic and social development, constitute a major impediment to poverty alleviation and inevitably lead to environmental degradation (WHO, 2004). A community ravaged by diarrheal diseases, dracunculiasis or schistosomiasis cannot look beyond its immediate problems towards social economic welfare. Safe water is the door way to health and health is the prerequisite for progress, social equity and human dignity (WHO, 2004).

Assessment of Water Handling and Sanitation Practices Among Rural Communities of Farta Woreda, Northwest Ethiopia

“…The study revealed that the most 789 (94.6%) commonly preferred type of water collection container was Jerrican. This finding is in agreement with similar study done in Dire Dawa rural communities and Kolladiba Town [13,12]. From the total respondents, the majority 579 (64.4%) and 743 (89.1%) were clean their container and wash their hands before collection of water respectively.…”

“…This is consistent with a study conducted in rural Dire Dawa communities, Ethiopia [12]. The majority of households 738 (88.5%) required less than 30 minutes to fetch drinking water and the mean per capita daily water consumption of the households was 10.2 (±4.4) liters.…”

Bacteriological and physical quality of Fiche drinking water from households and reservoirs, Oromia, Ethiopia

“…The main reason for letting the water be untreated before drinking is the expectation of the societies that the water may not be contaminated. It was possible to conclude that Fiche town communities' information about water treatment before drinking is comparable with the research result observed at Bona District (73%) and Dire Dawa Town (87%), where the majority of the households never treat water at home before drinking (Amenu et al 2013;Berhanu & Hailu 2015).…”

Bacteriological Contamination of Drinking Water Supply from Protected Water Sources to Point of Use and Water Handling Practices among Beneficiary Households of Boloso Sore Woreda, Wolaita Zone, Ethiopia

“…After use, drinking utensils were mostly kept on the table by 53% of the respondents while 26.1% left on the floor and 20.9% hanged it on the wall. e same study done at Jigjiga showed 62.2% of the households put on the table, 4.6% hanged on the wall, and 30.7% put on the floor [16], which is lower than the study conducted at Kolladiba town, which showed 75.5% put on the table, 9.7% put on the floor, and 4.8% hanged on the wall, respectively [17], which is higher than the same study held in Dire Dawa Adada and Legebira villages [8] and higher than the same study conducted at Tehuledere, Northeast Ethiopia, which showed only 51 (26.6%) of the households put water drawing utensils on tables and shelves while the majority (73.4%) put it on the floor, or hang it on the wall or leave it inside the container [9]. e current study indicates that protected hand-dug wells and shallow wells had significantly more E. coli (60% of tested samples) as compared to protected springs (25% of tested samples).…”

“…In Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, water handling practice in the Adada village shows that the most commonly preferred type of water collection container was jerry can which accounted for 59.37% followed by clay pots 40.63%. In relation to the way that the respondents withdrew water from containers, 8 (6.25%) preferred pouring and the remaining 93.75% by dipping [8].…”