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. A community based cross-sectional study was conducted using interviewer administered 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 of Dire Dawa Administrative 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 supervision of principal investigator and 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 contamination of faecal coliform with high sanitary risk 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. Protected springs with high sanitary risk score were highly subjected to bacteriological contamination and its load of feacal coliform almost tripled at household level, because of poor household management management.