Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation Awareness in Rural Bangladesh

Abstract

Safe drinking water and sanitation are closely related to the environmental and health risks faced by villagers in the rural areas of Bangladesh where tube-well arsenic contamination is an issue of particular concern. Since a significant percentage of the people affected by this problem have poor access to safe drinking water, the risk of increasing numbers of people suffering from arsenicosis is considered to be high. Regarding access to sanitation facilities, while the coverage ratio of improved facilities is increasing, improper management of existing facilities is often observed in rural areas. In this chapter, the authors conducted questionnaire surveys related to safe drinking water and sanitation awareness in two rural Bangladeshi villages with differing socio-environments. Based on the results of those surveys, the current status and local awareness levels of issues concerning drinking water and sanitation in their villages will be compared while taking socio-environmental differences into consideration. The authors will also discuss how the questionnaire survey results were used to help the villagers discuss alternatives that will improve their living environments and reduce health risks through the mitigation of arsenic contamination and sanitation improvements.