Prevalence of waterborne diseases and drinking water quality in the tribal’s areas of Garhwal Himalayas Uttarakhand, India: An awareness programme and mitigation approaches

Abstract

The livelihood strategies of the tribal communities are diverse from other communities as the ecological surrounding area, population size, language, physical features and level of development vary in the scheduled tribe’s categories. A tribal population in Uttarakhand resides in long Tarai and far-flung remote hilly regions, where livelihood and development are a matter of hardship. In fact, the basic health facilities, sensitization about quality drinking water and many more are in adequate. The tribe’s areas are most neglected and highly vulnerable to diseases with a high degree of malnutrition, morbidity and mortality. Their misery is compounded by poverty, illiteracy, ignorance of the causes of diseases, hostile environment, poor sanitation, lack of safe drinking water and blind beliefs, etc. Water from the different sources is being polluted by different means such as domestic waste, weathering of rocks, anthropogenic activities and sewage effluents, etc., which affect the physicochemical and biological properties of water, which ultimately create havoc among the tribes by many water-borne diseases.