COVID-19 Era and Water Supply: Challenges for Rural Communities in Eastern, Nigeria

Abstract

Coronavirus is currently a huge threat to human health all over the globe. Even though it has no cure yet, it can be contained by proper personal and collective hygiene. This makes access to sufficient clean water supply fundamental and indispensable. Since rural communities tend to be vulnerable to disease outbreaks due to poor standards of hygiene, this study examined the challenges of the rural communities in Enugu West Senatorial District in Nigeria over access to clean water supply and their preparedness to tackle COVID-19 pandemic, following the guidelines from world health experts. The survey showed general awareness of the pandemic in the selected communities. However, 71% neither have access to clean water supply, nor alternative to hand sanitizing agent. A large number of the respondents also acknowledged that availability and accessibility to clean water supply would improve the hygiene culture of the people and as a result curtail the spread of the disease. This study, therefore, recommends that government should intervene by extending water borehole projects and water treatment plants to various rural communities as well as providing maintenance services for non-functional ones.