Abstract:
Background: Safe drinking water, sanitation and healthy hygienic practices are essential for an
individual to carry a healthy life and absence of these is directly or indirectly responsible for most
communicable and non-communicable diseases. Objective: To assess the current status of knowledge&
the level of practice regarding WaSH among urban slum dwellers. Methods: A cross-sectional study
was conducted in urban slums of field practice area of Shri B. M. Patil Medical College, Vijayapur.
Using systematic random sampling method, the sample size of 384 households was selected. Data was
collected through house-to-house survey using predesigned questionnaire by interviewing one adult
respondent from each selected householdabout knowledgeand practices regarding water, sanitation and
hygiene. Results: The average age of the adult respondent of the house was 40.65 ± 17.54 years among
which majority were females (63.80%). Only 28.39% of households had knowledge regarding water
borne diseases& around 72.4% of households were aware of Swacha Bharat Abhiyan. Conclusion:
Even though Swacha Bharat Abhiyan was initiated in 2014 there is a clear gap between their knowledge
and their actual practice. Therefore, better measures have to be taken to spread awareness among the
public
