PSA conducts survey on sanitation, hygiene among households

KALIBO, Aklan – The Philippine Statistics Authority Aklan is currently conducting survey on sanitation and hygiene particularly on the availability of toilet and handwashing facilities in the households.

This statistical inquiry is part of the Annual Poverty Indicator Survey which is presently conducted in Aklan.

According to Engr. Antonet B. Catubuan, Chief Statistical Specialist, a total of 391 households distributed in 22 barangays in the province were chosen as samples for this survey.

“This activity is being undertaken to measure a key aspect of personal hygiene that has implications on the health of all household members,” Catubuan said.

She further said that the presence of a handwashing facility with water and soap in the household is an indicator for a safely managed sanitation facility.

Results of the Annual Poverty Indicator Survey conducted in 2019 showed that 96.0 percent of families in Western Visayas had handwashing facilities with soap and water

This is higher compared to the figure reported in 2017 which is 72.0 percent.

On the other hand, the proportions of those families which have handwashing facilities sans soap and water were pegged at 2.7 percent, while those that have no hand washing facility contracted to 1.3 percent from 20.5 percent reported in 2017.

Facility on handwashing may be fixed or mobile and include a sink with tap water, buckets with taps, tippy-taps, and jugs or basins designated for handwashing.

In terms of toilet facility, about 83.3 percent of the households in the region had basic service level of sanitation or those that use of improved facilities that are not shared with other households.

Improved sanitation facilities are those designed to hygienically separate excreta from human contact which include wet sanitation technologies (flush and pour flush toilets connecting to sewers, septic tanks or pit latrines) and dry sanitation technologies (ventilated improved pit latrines, pit latrines with slabs, or composting toilets).

Meanwhile, the proportion of households that use improved facilities which are shared between two or more households was recorded at 5.7 percent.

On the contrary, the percentage of households without toilet facility or practice open defecation dropped to 8.8 percent in 2019 from 13.4 percent reported in 2017.