Handwashing with soap: A concern for overuse of water amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
Article
Article Title | Handwashing with soap: A concern for overuse of water amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh |
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ERA Journal ID | 212658 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Sayeed, Abu (Author), Rahman, Md Hafizur (Author), Bundschuh, Jochen (Author), Herath, Indika (Author), Ahmed, Fahad (Author), Bhattacharya, Prosun (Author), Tariq, Mohammad Raihan (Author), Rahman, Faujhia (Author), Joy, Md Tarikul Islam (Author), Abid, Mohammad Tazrian (Author), Saha, Nondo (Author) and Hasank, M. Tasdik (Author) |
Journal Title | Groundwater for Sustainable Development |
Journal Citation | 13, pp. 1-6 |
Article Number | 100561 |
Number of Pages | 6 |
Year | 2021 |
Publisher | Elsevier BV |
Place of Publication | Netherlands |
ISSN | 2352-801X |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2021.100561 |
Web Address (URL) | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352801X21000175 |
Abstract | Handwashing is one of the vital public health measures. It helps to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, water overuse during hand scrubbing with soap keeping the tap on may put enormous pressure on the already overstretched groundwater resources and households’ economic well-being. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the overuse of water while scrubbing hands with soap for handwashing when the tap is on amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. Sociodemographic data were collected using a web-based survey tool among 1980 participants and an experiment was conducted among 126 participants to estimate the overuse of water during hand scrubbing while the tap is on. A total of 80% of the participants washed their hands regularly after returning home from outside. About 57.3% of participants did not turn off their tap throughout the handwashing process. A single participant, who kept his tap on throughout the handwashing process, overused approximately 1.7 L of water per handwash and 14.9 L of water per day. Hand scrubbing with soap keeping the tap on, raised the overuse of water 13-fold during this pandemic compared to the non-pandemic situation which cost an extra 225.0 BDT (2.7$) per day for 1980 participants. Minimize the speed of tap, using automatic taps, and using taps operated by legs might be an effective solution to reduce the water overuse. Furthermore, behavioral change interventions are needed to aware people turn off the tap during hand scrubbing with soap. |
Keywords | Overuse of water, Handwashing, Hand scrubbing, COVID-19, Bangladesh |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 400513. Water resources engineering |
Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
Byline Affiliations | Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh |
International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research (ICDDR), Bangladesh | |
UNESCO Chair on Groundwater Arsenic | |
School of Civil Engineering and Surveying | |
University of Queensland | |
KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden | |
University of Liverpool, United Kingdom | |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q79q9/handwashing-with-soap-a-concern-for-overuse-of-water-amidst-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-bangladesh
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