Study of Water Resources and Waterborne Diseases in Rural Population of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

Background- Human health and survival depend upon use of uncontaminated and clean water for drinking and other purposes. Groundwater is a good source of fresh water available on the earth, due to its relatively low susceptibility to pollution in comparison to surface water and its large storage capacity.

Methods- An observational study was conducted in five villages of Lodha Block of Aligarh District in Uttar Pradesh predominantly having Scheduled Caste population. The objectives of the study were to find out the sources of water, sanitary conditions and prevalence of water-borne diseases in the villages.

Results-Main source of water in the area of present study was ground water which is obtained by Hand Pump, Submersible or Tube Well. Sanitary conditions of the villages observed in the study was not satisfactory. Lack of proper sanitation and management of water results in the contamination of the water and causes water-borne diseases. Skin diseases like Pruritus, Fungal Infection were found to be most prevalent followed by diseases of gastro-intestinal diseases like Diarrhoea, Amoebiasis, and Typhoid.

Conclusion- Improper disposal of waste water from houses and factories is also continuously contaminating the water resources and resulting in the waterborne diseases. There is need to deliver health education in areas with dominated Scheduled caste population.