Abstract
Coronavirus is currently a huge threat to human health all over the globe. Even though it has no cure yet, it can be contained by proper personal and collective hygiene. This makes access to sufficient clean water supply fundamental and indispensable. Since rural communities tend to be vulnerable to disease outbreaks due to poor standards of hygiene, this study examined the challenges of the rural communities in Enugu West Senatorial District in Nigeria over access to clean water supply and their preparedness to tackle COVID-19 pandemic, following the guidelines from world health experts. The survey showed general awareness of the pandemic in the selected communities. However, 71% neither have access to clean water supply, nor alternative to hand sanitizing agent. A large number of the respondents also acknowledged that availability and accessibility to clean water supply would improve the hygiene culture of the people and as a result curtail the spread of the disease. This study, therefore, recommends that government should intervene by extending water borehole projects and water treatment plants to various rural communities as well as providing maintenance services for non-functional ones.
Highlights
Novel Coronavirus referred to as COVID-19 is a pandemic disease
Since rural communities tend to be vulnerable to disease outbreaks due to poor standards of hygiene, this study examined the challenges of the rural communities in Enugu West Senatorial District in Nigeria over access to clean water supply and their preparedness to tackle COVID-19 pandemic, following the guidelines from world health experts
This study aims at assessing the challenges of rural communities in Enugu West Senatorial district to the COVID-19 in terms of access to clean water supply for proper hygiene
Summary
Novel Coronavirus referred to as COVID-19 is a pandemic disease. The global update as of 7th April, 2020 records, 1,419,256 of the disease cases, 81,526 death toll and 301,497 recovered cases (Worldometer, 2020). Nigeria records 254 of the disease cases, 6 death toll and 44 recovered cases as of 7th April, 2020 (NCDC, 2020). The extent of its transmission depends on people’s. Proper hygiene can be achieved through cleanliness (Kumwenda, 2019), which water is a basic input for that outcome. Water being a fundamental human right has put the locus of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG6.1) on making it able to be reached on premises, available and safe by 2030 (Hutton, 2016; Shaheed et al, 2014)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
