Assessment of Safe Drinking Water Handling Practices in Households of Northern India: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Waterborne diseases are the most common form of infectious disease, spreading from contaminated water, especially in a developed country. These diseases are a major concern for the environment and public health. The living conditions in developing countries like India affect the water-handling practices, which make the population vulnerable to waterborne diseases. The inability to access safe drinking water also adds to this. Water safety for a community relies on water collection, treatment, storage, and handling in the household setting. Therefore, the burden of waterborne disease can be reduced by treating point-of-use drinking water, including improving handling and transport. Objectives The aim was to assess the safe drinking water handling practices in households. The objectives were to assess the safe drinking water-handling practices, namely, treatment, storage, lid status of the storage vessel, and water drawing technique, and to estimate the sources of safe drinking water. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Etawah district on a total of 312 eldest female family members actively working in the kitchen. Descriptive analysis and Chi-Square test were applied to the collected data and a p-value