Understanding waterborne disease vulnerability of day Labourers: A qualitative exploration in Rajshahi city, Bangladesh

In 2022, worldwide, at least 1.7 billion people use an unsafe drinking water source contaminated with faeces, though Sustainable Development Goal target 6.1 has asked for the universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water. This contaminated water can transmit waterborne diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, jaundis and various skin diseases. It is estimated that approximately 505000 diarrhoeal deaths has occurred each year. This study aimed to understand the vulnerability of waterborne diseases of the day labourers in Rajshahi city, Bangladesh. Here, 60 respondents were enrolled by using purposive and convenience sampling. Data were collected through casual observation, in-depth interview and Focused Group Discussions (FGD), and were analyzed thematically. Findings shows that traditional social beliefs, lower educational status and lower economic condition are the main determinants towards the lay perception of water-borne diseases and their causation. It is important to mention that the geo-ecological condition and water management system are also responsible to create scarcity of safe drinking water. Besides these, day labourers have not enough solvency to take proper coping strategies. It's clear that these factors make the day labourers more vulnerable to waterborne diseases in this urban area which shows the emergence to develop safe drinking water management system and urban sanitation policy for the betterment of the urban informal working poor in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh.