Influence of Rural Community Water Supply Schemes on Health in Rachuonyo North Sub-County, Homa Bay County, Kenya

Abstract

Clean water is a necessity for all humans. However, there are more than 1 billion people in the developing world that are unable to access, on a daily basis, a reliable source of clean, freshwater. This problem is particularly acute in rural areas and small communities, where water collection may require hours of physical effort, water sources may be contaminated, or must be purchased at rates that are too expensive to allow for proper health and hygiene. The impact of inadequate water and sanitation services falls primarily on the poor. Owing to dearth of studies in Kenya on how to tackle this, the purpose of the study is to establish the influence of rural community water supply schemes on health services in Rachuonyo North Sub-County. The study was guided by descriptive survey research design on a target population of 64045beneficiaries of rural water supply schemes within Rachuonyo North District.A smple of 400 was used for the study. Owners or leaders of such supply schemes, and community leaders (chiefs) were also targeted as key informants. Questionnaires, focused group discussion and key informant interviews were the data collection tools. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentages, mean and standard deviation), content analysis on qualitative data to establish the influence of rural water supply schemes on health.. The findings established that on health, water supply schemes have improved hygiene, reduced water related illnesses, and improved quality and quantity of water access.