Prevalence of water-borne diseases in western India: dependency on the quality of potable water and personal hygiene practices

Unlike urban and semi-urban settlements where the potable water is supplied through a water treatment plant and a distribution network, in rural low-income settings, the provision of the water treatment plant for all villages is not feasible for a developing country like India. The most affordable and reliable way to provide clean drinking water is treatment at the consumer end. This research aimed to assess the occurrence of water-borne diseases based on personal hygiene and the quality of drinking water. Of the households, 4,237 in 15 selected villages were surveyed for personal hygiene using a questionnaire. Water samples were collected from all major water sources in the villages and analyzed for chemical and bacteriological properties. For water and personal hygiene, quality indices were calculated, and a mathematical model was developed using multiple linear regression analysis. The regression concluded that hygiene has a more significant effect on the occurrence of water-borne diseases than the quality of water. Personal hygiene is one of the health factors neglected by the people specifically in rural India. Therefore, India needs to run campaigns like Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan (Clean India Mission), which was mainly aimed to reduce open defecation, to promote personal hygiene and to reduce the prevalence of water-borne diseases.