Access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services and drinking water contamination risk levels in households of Bishoftu Town, Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

Aderajew Mekonnen Girmay; Sisay Derso Mengesha; Daniel A Dinssa; Zinabu Assefa Alemu; Bedasa Wagari; Mesaye G Weldegebriel; Melaku G Serte; Tsigereda A Alemayehu; Moa Abate Kenea; Abel Weldetinsae; Kirubel T Teklu; Ermias Alemayehu Adugna; Kaleab S Awoke; Tesfaye L Bedada; Waktole Gobena; Getnet Fikreslassie; Wendayehu Wube; Vivian Hoffmann; Masresha Tessema; Getachew Tollera

doi:10.1002/hsr2.1662

Access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services and drinking water contamination risk levels in households of Bishoftu Town, Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

Health Sci Rep. 2023 Oct 31;6(11):e1662. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.1662. eCollection 2023 Nov.

Authors

Aderajew Mekonnen Girmay¹, Sisay Derso Mengesha¹, Daniel A Dinssa¹, Zinabu Assefa Alemu¹, Bedasa Wagari¹, Mesaye G Weldegebriel¹, Melaku G Serte¹, Tsigereda A Alemayehu¹, Moa Abate Kenea¹, Abel Weldetinsae¹, Kirubel T Teklu¹, Ermias Alemayehu Adugna¹, Kaleab S Awoke¹, Tesfaye L Bedada¹, Waktole Gobena¹, Getnet Fikreslassie¹, Wendayehu Wube², Vivian Hoffmann^{3

4}, Masresha Tessema¹, Getachew Tollera¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nutrition and Environmental Health Research Directorate Ethiopian Public Health Institute Addis Ababa Ethiopia.
² Ministry of Health Addis Ababa Ethiopia.
³ International Food Policy Research Institute Washington District of Columbia USA.
⁴ Department of Economics and School of Public Policy and Administration Carleton University Ottawa Ontario Canada.

Abstract

Background and aims: Access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene is a fundamental human right and essential to control infectious diseases. However, many countries, including Ethiopia, do not have adequate data to report on basic water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. Although contaminated drinking water spreads diseases like cholera, diarrhea, typhoid, and dysentery, studies on drinking water contamination risk levels in households are limited in Ethiopia. Therefore, closing this gap needs investigation.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 5350 households were included. A systematic, simple random sampling technique was used to select the participants. The information was gathered through in-person interviews using a standardized questionnaire. Furthermore, 1070 drinking water samples were collected from household water storage.

Results: This investigation revealed that 9.8%, 83.9%, and 4.9% of households used limited, basic, and safely managed drinking water services, respectively. Besides, 10.2%, 15.7% and 59.3% of households used safely managed, basic and limited sanitation services, respectively. Yet, 10.6% and 4.2% of households used unimproved sanitation facilities and open defecation practices. Also, 40.5% and 19.4% of households used limited and basic hygiene services. On the other hand, 40.1% of households lacked functional handwashing facilities. In this study, 12.1%, 26.3%, and 42% of households' drinking water samples were positive for Escherichia coli, fecal coliforms, and total coliforms, respectively. Also, 5.1% and 4.5% of households' drinking water samples had very high and high contamination risk levels for E. coli, respectively. We found that 2.5% and 11.5% of households and water distributors had unacceptable fluoride concentrations, respectively.

Conclusion: The majority of households in Bishoftu town lack access to safely managed sanitation, drinking water, and basic hygiene services. Many households' water samples had very high and high health risk levels. Hence, the government and partner organizations should implement water and sanitation safety plans.

Keywords: WASH; access; contamination risk level; hygiene; sanitation; water.