Artisans’ Knowledge and Perception on Hand-Dug Well Waterborne Related Diseases in Dutse Mechanic Village North-West, Nigeria

This study was conducted to assess the knowledge and perception of artisans in Dutse mechanic village regarding hand-dug well waterborne related diseases with the aid of questionnaire. Data were collected from seventy (70) respondents on selected personal attributes and analyzed using descriptive statistics. All the respondents indicated that there are two (2) wells in the mechanic village. The study revealed that a high proportion (80%) of the respondents actively repair automobiles while 4.3% take part in various trading activities. Majority (70%) of the respondents indicated that microbial pollutants can cause waterborne diseases while minority (30%) of the respondent reported a contrary view. Respondents (7.1%) reported to have been diagnosed of waterborne diseases while majority (92.9%) of the respondents reported that they have not been diagnosed of any water borne disease. However, respondents diagnosed of waterborne diseases specified diarrhoea (1.4%), typhoid (1.4%) and urinary tract infection (4.3%). It can be concluded that the artisans are lackadaisical towards ensuring hygienic maintenance of the wells as clearly revealed in the results obtained in this study. It is recommended that the wells in the village should be covered when not in use coupled with drawing water with a well-kept fetcher devoid of microbial loads.

Keywords
Hand-dug well; microbial pollutants; waterborne diseases; mechanic village.