WASH and MHM experiences of disabled females living in Dhaka slums of Bangladesh
The rapid expansion of slums with increasing population density are the main barriers to scaling-up sustainable Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in the megalopolis of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The improper arrangement of ‘Cheap WASH’ (i.e., water access, sanitation access, and hygiene pract...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IWA Publishing
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://washdev.iwaponline.com/content/12/10/683 |
| _version_ | 1828312648079376384 |
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| author | Md. Arif Chowdhury Sara Nowreen Nusrat Jahan Tarin Md. Robiul Hasan Rashed Uz Zzaman Nazaha Izdihar Amatullah |
| author_facet | Md. Arif Chowdhury Sara Nowreen Nusrat Jahan Tarin Md. Robiul Hasan Rashed Uz Zzaman Nazaha Izdihar Amatullah |
| author_sort | Md. Arif Chowdhury |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The rapid expansion of slums with increasing population density are the main barriers to scaling-up sustainable Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in the megalopolis of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The improper arrangement of ‘Cheap WASH’ (i.e., water access, sanitation access, and hygiene practices) and unmanaged disposal of non-biodegradable menstrual hygiene wastes, single-use medical, and plastic usage at slums are making the environment of city surroundings unfavourable and vulnerable posing a great threat to public health. Among the slum-dwellers, particularly, females with a disability are mostly the worst affected and vulnerable due to unfavourable conditions and lack of necessary support. Following the backdrops, this study purposively selected two Dhaka slums, with and without disabled-friendly facilities, to investigate female perspectives on different aspects related to WASH and menstrual hygiene management (MHM) for females with a disability. In total, 30 in-depth interviews, 12 focus group discussions, and 22 key informant interviews were conducted at Korail and Kalyanpur slums. Case studies from the megalopolis of Dhaka, Bangladesh, capture the economic burden added to the budgetary deficits of the family with female-disabled. Discrimination in extra care needed for toilet facilities, MHM education, and transport and overlooking the caretaker's requirement or loss in income are found as additional burdens.
HIGHLIGHTS
Inaccessibility and inconveniences linked to WASH and MHM are barriers to self-dependency for disabled females.;
Economic burdens are adding to disabled families’ budgetary deficits.;
Formal education beyond the primary level is commonly denied for menstruating disabled due to a lack of trained caretakers.;
High-plinth toilets made to avoid regular flooding exacerbates disabled accessibility to current public latrines.; |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T16:19:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d9de48cb4be14442b73da009750c2c62 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2043-9083 2408-9362 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T16:19:23Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | IWA Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development |
| spelling | doaj.art-d9de48cb4be14442b73da009750c2c622022-12-22T02:39:58ZengIWA PublishingJournal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development2043-90832408-93622022-10-01121068369710.2166/washdev.2022.060060WASH and MHM experiences of disabled females living in Dhaka slums of BangladeshMd. Arif Chowdhury0Sara Nowreen1Nusrat Jahan Tarin2Md. Robiul Hasan3Rashed Uz Zzaman4Nazaha Izdihar Amatullah5 Department of Climate and Disaster Management, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore-7408, Bangladesh Institute of Water and Flood Management, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh Institute of Water and Flood Management, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh Institute of Water and Flood Management, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh Institute of Water and Flood Management, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh Engineering University School and College, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh The rapid expansion of slums with increasing population density are the main barriers to scaling-up sustainable Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in the megalopolis of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The improper arrangement of ‘Cheap WASH’ (i.e., water access, sanitation access, and hygiene practices) and unmanaged disposal of non-biodegradable menstrual hygiene wastes, single-use medical, and plastic usage at slums are making the environment of city surroundings unfavourable and vulnerable posing a great threat to public health. Among the slum-dwellers, particularly, females with a disability are mostly the worst affected and vulnerable due to unfavourable conditions and lack of necessary support. Following the backdrops, this study purposively selected two Dhaka slums, with and without disabled-friendly facilities, to investigate female perspectives on different aspects related to WASH and menstrual hygiene management (MHM) for females with a disability. In total, 30 in-depth interviews, 12 focus group discussions, and 22 key informant interviews were conducted at Korail and Kalyanpur slums. Case studies from the megalopolis of Dhaka, Bangladesh, capture the economic burden added to the budgetary deficits of the family with female-disabled. Discrimination in extra care needed for toilet facilities, MHM education, and transport and overlooking the caretaker's requirement or loss in income are found as additional burdens. HIGHLIGHTS Inaccessibility and inconveniences linked to WASH and MHM are barriers to self-dependency for disabled females.; Economic burdens are adding to disabled families’ budgetary deficits.; Formal education beyond the primary level is commonly denied for menstruating disabled due to a lack of trained caretakers.; High-plinth toilets made to avoid regular flooding exacerbates disabled accessibility to current public latrines.;http://washdev.iwaponline.com/content/12/10/683dhaka slumsfemale with disabilitiesgender inequalitiesmhm (menstrual hygiene management)wash (watersanitationand hygiene) |
| spellingShingle | Md. Arif Chowdhury Sara Nowreen Nusrat Jahan Tarin Md. Robiul Hasan Rashed Uz Zzaman Nazaha Izdihar Amatullah WASH and MHM experiences of disabled females living in Dhaka slums of Bangladesh Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development dhaka slums female with disabilities gender inequalities mhm (menstrual hygiene management) wash (water sanitation and hygiene) |
| title | WASH and MHM experiences of disabled females living in Dhaka slums of Bangladesh |
| title_full | WASH and MHM experiences of disabled females living in Dhaka slums of Bangladesh |
| title_fullStr | WASH and MHM experiences of disabled females living in Dhaka slums of Bangladesh |
| title_full_unstemmed | WASH and MHM experiences of disabled females living in Dhaka slums of Bangladesh |
| title_short | WASH and MHM experiences of disabled females living in Dhaka slums of Bangladesh |
| title_sort | wash and mhm experiences of disabled females living in dhaka slums of bangladesh |
| topic | dhaka slums female with disabilities gender inequalities mhm (menstrual hygiene management) wash (water sanitation and hygiene) |
| url | http://washdev.iwaponline.com/content/12/10/683 |
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