Environmental Sciences. Factors Influencing Unsafe Water Use and The Resulting Health Effects at Household Level in Kapua Location, Kenya

      Аннотация: Kapua Location, Turkana County has been undergoing challenges of access to quality and safe water for use at the households leading to its populations using unsafe or untreated water from the rivers which may lead to public health challenges. This informed this study as it sought to investigate the influencing factors to unsafe water use and its resulting effects to human health at the household level in the area. From the data analyzed it is evident that Kapua Location is characterized by unimproved sanitation types with Open Defecation (OD) being the highly practiced sanitation type with a percentage standing of 82%; The water sources used in the area are unsafe since no water treatment is done at the source. Rivers (94%) are the major sources of water used although one borehole was found in Kaapokor village with no treatment being done; In addition, there is no treatment of water done at the households’ level; the main factors which result to unsafe water use in the area is water shortage and cultural beliefs.

Ключевые слова: unsafe water, Water use, water related diseases