Water Quality, Sanitation, and Hygiene Conditions in Schools and Households in Dolakha and Ramechhap Districts, Nepal: Results from A Cross-Sectional Survey

Akina Shrestha, Subodh Sharma, Jana Gerold, Séverine Erismann, Sanjay Sagar, Rajendra Koju, Christian Schindler, Peter Odermatt, Jürg Utzinger and Guéladio Cissé
Additional contact information
Akina Shrestha: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
Subodh Sharma: Aquatic Ecology Centre, School of Science, Kathmandu University, P.O. Box 6250, Dhulikhel, Nepal
Jana Gerold: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
Séverine Erismann: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
Sanjay Sagar: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
Rajendra Koju: School of Medical Sciences, Kathmandu University, P.O. Box 11008, Dhulikhel, Nepal
Christian Schindler: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
Peter Odermatt: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
Jürg Utzinger: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
Guéladio Cissé: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-21

Abstract: This study assessed drinking water quality, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions among 708 schoolchildren and 562 households in Dolakha and Ramechhap districts of Nepal. Cross-sectional surveys were carried out in March and June 2015. A Delagua water quality testing kit was employed on 634 water samples obtained from 16 purposively selected schools, 40 community water sources, and 562 households to examine water quality. A flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to test lead and arsenic content of the same samples. Additionally, a questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain WASH predictors. A total of 75% of school drinking water source samples and 76.9% point-of-use samples (water bottles) at schools, 39.5% water source samples in the community, and 27.4% point-of-use samples at household levels were contaminated with thermo-tolerant coliforms. The values of water samples for pH (6.8–7.6), free and total residual chlorine (0.1–0.5 mg/L), mean lead concentration (0.01 mg/L), and mean arsenic concentration (0.05 mg/L) were within national drinking water quality standards. The presence of domestic animals roaming inside schoolchildren’s homes was significantly associated with drinking water contamination (adjusted odds ratio: 1.64; 95% confidence interval: 1.08–2.50; p = 0.02). Our findings call for an improvement of WASH conditions at the unit of school, households, and communities.

Keywords: cross-sectional survey; drinking water quality; hygiene; Nepal; sanitation; schoolchildren (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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