15.2.5 Health and hygiene education
Before developing any water protection, the health benefits of an improved water supply and sanitation need to be accepted by the local community. You can provide hygiene education for the people in order to promote their behavioural change.
What good hygiene practices would you encourage so that the local community get the full benefit of an improved water supply?
The most important aspects of good hygiene education would be:
- Washing their hands after using the latrine and before preparing meals or feeding babies and eating their food.
- Protecting water supplies at the source and in the home.
- Using an appropriate latrine rather than the open fields.
Water and sanitation activities should be integrated with community health developments if it is possible. Individual and community health are the major beneficiaries of improved water supplies and sanitation.