Water Sanitation and Hygiene Practices in Slums – A Case Study of Ilaje Slum in Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

Environmental health studies have grouped factors influencing water transmitted diseases into; water related, water based, water washed and water borne diseases. These diseases are classified to be either induced by level of access to water and sanitary or hygienic behaviours, and are considered as a concern for optimal environmental health. However, despite the deplorable environmental conditions of slum communities in Lagos metropolis, no study has considered access to water supply conditions as a contributing factor to environmental health challenge in Ilaje slum. Thus, this study examined the influence of access to water supply conditions on environmental health problems in Ilaje community of Lagos State. Using a simple random sampling procedure, 391 questionnaire were administered and analysed with the use of descriptive statistics (frequency tables) and inferential statistics (Pearson Chi-Square). Attempts were made to identify and examine the socio-economic characteristics, access to water supply, sanitary/hygienic behaviours of respondents, and also the relationship between access to water supply and environmental health status of respondents in the study area. The research result established that variations exist in the respondents’ access to water supply, with 51.2% indicating that borehole is their predominant source of water. Analysis on sanitary/hygienic behaviours showed that the most dominant (27.4%) toilet type is flush/pour toilet and 60.9% of these toilets are shared. Result of analysis on rate of suffering water related, water based, water washed and water borne diseases revealed that at least 59% households have cases of malaria monthly, 85%, 53%, and 79% reported an annual case of Worm, scabies and dysenteries respectively. Also 56% and 64% reported an annual case of diarrhoea and Typhoid Fever respectively. In conclusion, the study inferred that household access to water supply conditions influence environmental health status of Ilaje slum households. Thus, the study calls for a deliberate policy to provide good water supply conditions that will encourage sanitary and hygienic behaviour adequate enough for slum households to have improved environmental health condition.