Abstract:
Potable water is one of the essential requirements of human beings. Similarly, proper sanitation arrangements are essential for the clean environments which are essential for good health. This study is based on a sample survey conducted in three randomly selected villages of district Peshawar. The aims of the study were to asses the availability and utilization of potable water and sanitation facilities. And also to identify the factors hindering in the proper utilization of these facilities in the rural areas. For this purpose 160 respondents (20 % of the total households) were randomly contacted in the study area. The study finds that more than 50% of the population was generally using open well water. This water was of inferior quality; however, people had to use it because they did not have access to public sector water. The rest of the community received water from tubewells in the public sector. This water was of good quality; however, its availability was generally not to the desire level for the users. The insufficiency in the tubewells water was mainly due to leakage in the water pipes, misuses of water and illegal connections. Similarly improper storage and drainage; and disposal of garbage and toilet waste were the major causes of poor sanitation. All these factors had contributed significantly to the under utilization of the said social sector services. Mainly because of inferior quality of water and poor sanitation the people had health problems. Likewise, proper drainage and storage and disposal of garbage and toilet waste are the pre requisites for improved sanitation. Public awareness through health and hygiene education can help a lot in the improvement of clean environment. For this purposes the district government should take necessary legal steps to stop illegal connections and misuse of water, throwing the garbage in the streets and so on. With these measures the availability and utilization of the facilities would be improved.
Page(s):
207-215
DOI:
DOI not available
Published:
Journal: Sarhad Journal of Agriculture, Volume: 23, Issue: 1, Year: 2007