ACCESS TO DRINKING WATER SOURCES, WATER-BORN DISEASE PREVALENCE AND WATER PURIFICATION METHODS ADOPTED BY TRIBES OF VISAKHAPATNAM DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA

Water is a major media for carrying the cause of illness in the world and particularly in rural communities. The objectives of this study were to evaluate access to safe drinking water, water purification techniques and water-borne disease incidence in tribal region of Visakhapatnam District. 100 households were randomly selected with structured interview questions being administered in the four divisions of the District. Approximately 60% of the households got water from unimproved sources such as unprotected dug well, surface water and unprotected springs. The commonly used water purification technologies in the study area included boiling (64%), disinfection using chlorination (4%), cloth filtration (14%) and ceramic filtration (2%), while 16% of the population did not purify the water. Out of the 100 households, 20% households indicated that at least one member of the household had suffered from water-borne diseases in the past year. Viral fever was the most prevalence diseases in the four mandals and high of 43% fevers are observed in the CHC (Community Health Centre) Araku valley the year 2011 and low cases was founded in Dumbriguda PHC, and gradual decrease of viral fever cases was observed in all the PHCs. Whereas many households can easily access improved water sources, access to safe drinking water was still a major challenge. There was inconsistent and inadequate utilization of water purification techniques leading to consumption of contaminated water even after purification had been carried out.