Assessment of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Status of Households in Welenchiti Town, Boset Woreda, East Shoa Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

Ethiopia has made tremendous progress toward universal water, sanitation and hygiene access in the past decade, but still significant challenges remains unaddressed which varies from place to place. This study aimed to assess the status of Water supply, sanitation and hygiene of households in the town. A cross sectional study was conducted. The study subjects were randomly selected 423 households by systematic random sampling. Data were collected through interview and observation checklist. Concerning average consumption of water by households, majority 312 (74.00%) of them got less than 20 liters per capita per day. The study also revealed that, only 126 (33.60%) respondents washed their hands after defecation with soap and water. Majority of households, 294 (69.70%) disposed their solid wastes in open dump outside the yard. Those households who got water supply less than 20 liters per person per day (AOR=2.51, 95% CI=1.07-5.87, P=0.03), no hand washing practices after defecation (AOR=2.60, 95% CI=1.10-6.14, P=0.03) were more likely to have diarrhea in last two weeks. Based on the key indicators addressed in this study, access to water, sanitation and hygiene is lower than that of required standard. Health-workers and local authorities must pay special emphasis to improve these conditions.