Chapter- 5

Health & Environment

Name : Tanzila Nizam

ID:

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Introduction
Bangladesh is called a country of villages. A cosmic majority of the people lives in the villages.
In Bangladesh there are more than 78 thousand villages. Health and environment condition are
not identical among all the villages. Health and environment has close relation with economic,
social community, education, managerial, cultural, physical and mental situation. Health and
Environment is also related with each other. Health is a very convoluted issue as it is dependent
on many things such as water, food, sanitation, nutrition, hygiene practice, living standard and so
on. If we want to have a healthy life we must need a healthy environment. Environment is
everything that makes up our surroundings and affects our ability to live on the earththe air we
breathe the water that covers most of the earth's surface and we need to drink to live, the plants
and animals around us and much more.
Health and Environment, the two interrelated factors, efforts has been made in this section to
portrait the accurate and present situation of the various aspects of the health and the
environmental issues of the South Para of Digholgaon village. We have tried to identify the
different factors like sanitation & sewerage system, sources of water & arsenic pollution, family
planning methods, immunization to the children, health care facilities and problems etc. Besides
this, we have tried to recognize some environmental issues like fuel use by the villager,
waste disposal system etc. We have also tried to recognize the activities performed by
different GO and NGOs in health and sanitation activities

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The objectives of this section of our analysis are as follows:
To know the health conditions of the villagers.
The sources of water used for various purposes.
The types of toilet facilities the households get.
Type of fuel used for cooking purpose.
Waste Disposal place of the households.
Find out the health, vaccination & medical facilities available.

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METHODOLOGY:
To evaluate the Health and Environment condition of the East Para of Digholgaon village we
had basically performed an informal field survey among the villagers using two methods, these
are

Participatory Rural Appraisal (P.R.A)

Face to face interview

We randomly selected 25 families and asked on the related topics given in our PRA forms and
also other related things to get a measure of the health and environment of the village and its
villagers

LIMITATIONS:
The main limitation of the study is that no practical decision cannot be taken based on this study.
Because the study was conducted informally within a very short period of time about 2.30 hours.
There was lack of professionalism in that study so that the beneficiaries only can get an insight
of the health and environment condition of Digholgaon village. Moreover, at the time of the
survey most of the male villagers were busy with their works and female were reluctant to
answer about some issues due to their shyness. So there were gap in finding out the real picture.

Health
On the subject of the opinion of WHO Health are states of complete physical, mental and social
well-being are not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Bangladesh has 210m people of
whom 60% live in rural areas. Most of the rural people are poor and live with little necessary
facilities of life like food, shelter, pure drinking water and sanitation facilities. Because of the
poor economic background the huge number of rural households i.e. 84% cannot afford to Water
Sealed Latrine (WSL) for defecation (BSS, 1994). This condition of low sanitation coverage in
rural Bangladesh has comparison with many other developing countries of the world where only
14% of rural people have adequate sanitation coverage (WHO, 1996). As a result of this poor

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condition in respect of sanitation, many people in rural areas of Bangladesh are found to suffer
predominantly from debilitating diarrhea, and worm diseases.
Health, which contains some important attributes like, vaccination, health care facilities, family
planning, sources of water, sanitation, kitchen facilities of the village.
Table 5.1: Some Important Attributes of Health

SVSH F
aoaE
cumnA
ciL t r
citT c
naeH r
aot
ti
iwo l
oan
n
e
r

a
a
i
p
f

fa c

n
n i
t
n
g

a
a

e
i

i
i

Sources of Water for Domestic Uses in Digholgaon Village:

A major factor effecting health is water quality, especially for the health of infants and children
in developing countries. It is also a good indicator of environmental quality. When we analyzed
the sources of water and its usages in the South Para of Digholgaon village we found the
following set of data:
Table 5.2 Sources of Water for Domestic Use (Positive Response Only)

Purpos
e
Drinkin
g
Bathin
g
Washin
g
Cookin
g
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Tube-well

Sources
Pond
Ground
Wate8
No.
%
No.
%
0
0
0
0

No.
25

%
100

15

60

32

20

20

80

Others
No.
0

%
0

32

12

48

20

Others

Source: LFE Field Survey,

Summer 2014

Sanitation facility
Sanitation is one of the major indicators of health and environment and toilet is the place, which
should be one of the hygienic places that a person uses. We found four types of toilet facility in
our para like pit, sanitary, hanging and ring slab latrine.
Type
Sanitary latrine
Ring Slab
Hanging Latrine
Pit Latrine
Others

No.
14
11
0
0
0

%
56
44
0
0
0

Vaccination
Bangladesh is a highly populated country. Most of the people in the village are not aware of their
children. But childrens are the future of any country. It can happen when a child dont take five
vaccines such as Polio, Diphtheria, Hopping Cough, Measles and Tetanus. It is their parents
responsibility but they dont care it.
Polio
Diptheria
Whooping cough
Measels
Tetanus
BCG
Hepatitis B
0%

200%

400%

600%

800% 1000% 1200% 1400% 1600%

So
urce: Field Survey, 2014
Response
Yes
No
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No.
23
2

%
92
8

In this table, it is clearly found that our Para was completely aware about the vaccination of
different diseases of childrens. Children aged from 0 to 5 years and mothers who are pregnant
take vaccine from the vaccine provider. The government and the NGOs have successfully doing
their job. In our para 92%, children are vaccinated and only 8% are not vaccinated.

Family Planning
Family planning is one of the biggest concerns of Bangladesh government, especially of the rural
areas as because population problem is the main problem in our country. From the beginning
urban people are more or less conscious about family planning, because of urbanization and
industrialization. But rural are not so conscious, because of lack of knowledge, illiteracy,
superstitious etc.

Adopting Family Planning Protection of family planning

Pill
10%

No; 32%

15%

Injection
Condom

Yes; 68%
75%

Category of Diseases
In our para, most of the villagers have little knowledge about diseases. Therefore, if they suffer
by disease then they wait someday. If they feel much pain for fever or any diseases then they go
to local pharmacy and take medicine from local doctor. Sometimes, they took medicine without
any prescription. As a result, they were suffering from various diseases like Diarrhea, Asthma,
Typhoid Cough, Fever, Catching Cold, Fever, and Heart diseases, Cough. We tried to identify
diseases by PRA. Common diseases of the village people are given below:
Male

Asthma
Diabetes
Jaundice
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Female
Skin diseases

Asthma
Diabetes

Aged people
Heart diseases
Hyper tension
Diabetes

Children
Dysentery
Chicken fox
Pneumonia

Healthcare Facilities
In our survey, we found that there is little health care center in the villages. For severe diseases
people usually go to Comilla medical hospital some private hospital. We have seen M.B.B.S
doctors who are practicing in some pharmacies and prescribing medicines to the villagers.
Because of superstation people also go to the local priest.
Destination
Public
Facilities

Diseases
Healthcare

Jaundice, Diarrhea, Gastric, Ulcer, Diabetes, Malaria,

Blood Pressure, Heart attack, Pregnancy ,Asthma etc.

Local NGO workers

Family Planning, Pregnancy.

Local pharmacy

Diarrhea,
Cough.

Local priest (Hujur)

Unusual behavior

Homeopathy

Anemia, Skin Diseases.

Dysentery,

Headache,

Fever,

Gastric,

Source: Field Survey, 2014

Environment
From the definition of Environment, it is the entirety of the natural and human surrounding and
includes biophysical components of the natural environment of land, water and air, together with
all layers of the atmosphere, all inorganic and organic matter both living and dead; and socioeconomic components of human environment as well as economic, social, cultural, historical,
archaeological, administrative, land and associated resources, human health, nutrition and safety.
Mother Nature has given us everything from food to shelter. Without which our existence would
have been impossible. But in response we give nothing without Acid rain, Global warming,
Deforestation etc. she has proved to be a good mother but we failed to be a good child. Lets
wake up. The environment is consists of the air, water, and land around us. These elements
provide us with a range of important services, including a habitat in which to live and resources
with which to produce goods and services. We have categorized the following environmental
issues which places a great impact on the villagers health.
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They are:
Cooking place
Waste disposal methods
Types of fuels used
Types of pollution and its affects

Cooking Place
Cooking place should be neat and clean for better health. Irrespective of all the classes and
general knowledge about health and environment, the villagers happen to have a specific place or
kitchen to cook. We have asked the villagers specially the females about their cooking place. We
observed that every kitchen is separate from the house. That means kitchen is situated outside
from main house.
According to their speeches they cook inside the kitchen; here15 of them used to cook in the
kitchen. Sometimes they cook inside the house as some of them do not have any proper build
kitchen here we find 4 household were cook inside their room, but sometime they cook outside
during winter or crop harvesting season; as we find 6 of the families sometime cook outside the
room. Here the table shows the position of cooking places of this village

Picture 5.6.1: Cooking place of the village

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Table 5.6.2: The position of cooking places of this village

Cooking place
outside house

inside house

25%
75%

Usage of Fuel
Wood, Leaf

Cowdung

Others
12%
19%
69%

Type of Fuel Used

Type of fuel use for cooking is important because it is related with health and environment. In
our assigned village maximum people use firewood and cow dung. Use of this kind of fuels can
effect on both health & environment. From analysis, we have seen that a large number of
villagers use firewood for their cooking purposes, and rest of the villagers use cow dung and
straw for cooking. We also found three cylinder gas in a rich class family. The black smoke
emitted from burning fuels affects the womens health. But as majority of the villagers are poor
they cannot afford cylinder gas. So though women are having problems still they are using these
as they dont have any alternatives. As a result they suffer from cough and other lungs diseases
and feel burning in both eyes and skin.

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Bio-Diversity
Our assigned village South Para of Digholgaon is an old village. Now days they have planted
number of fruits and wood trees. Among them Bamboo bush, mango tree etc. Some trees like
Chorus tree, Higol trees already extinct. In Digholgaon village present animals are cow, dog, cat
etc. In our assign village present birds are crow, hen, duck etc and pigeon is extinct bird.

Bio-Diversity
Animals

Existing

Not observed

Birds

Tress

Cows, Hen, Duck, Parrot, Magpie

Mango, Coconut

Dog, Goat

Jackfruit

Sheep, Mongoose

Bamboo bush
Berry, Lichi

Goel, Pigeon

In the hole beside the house

In a specific place
No specific place
16%
12%
72%

Waste Disposal Methods

Waste disposal is very vital part in spreading diseases, before people were not much aware of
throwing the waste, but our study says the villagers are now very health conscious and NGO has
motivated and trained them well about where to dispose the waste. We have seen that people
dont know the importance of waste disposal & throw them in nearby hole.

Type of Fuel Used

Type of fuel use for cooking is important because it is related with health and environment. In
our country, the most rigorous disclosure to indoor air pollution occurs inside the house of rural
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people. Usually village people habituated to use firewood as fuel in their cooking purposes. But
they do not know when it occur indoor pollution. As a result they have to suffer from various
diseases and they do not believe this are all occur due to fuel. The village people who are
wealthy they can use slender gas for fuel purpose. In our assign village maximum people uses
firewood. and using these kind of fuels it effect on both health & environment .Excess uses fuel
it occur burning eyes , bad headache ,asthma, lung problem, breathing problem etc.

Fuel Type

Response

Health

Environmen

Effect

tal Effect

NO

Percentage

Coughing,

Firewood

23

92%

Headache,

Polluted the

Gas

8%

Burning

air, water

eyes,
Breathing
Problem

Type of Pollution & Its Effect

Pollution is the introduction of a contaminant into the environment. It is created mostly by
human actions, but can also be a result of natural disasters. Pollution has a detrimental effect on
any living organism in an environment, making it virtually impossible to sustain life. In our
assigned village the villagers talked about three main types of pollution and their impact on
human health. This is clearly stated in the table below:
Types
of Effects
Solution
pollution
Water
Jaundice,
Tubewell can be used ensure
Dysentery,
proper drainage system
Diarrhea
Soil
Reduces fertility of
1. Crop rotation
2. Limiting the use of
soil
pesticides
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Air

Asthma,
Cancer,
Problem

Lung Ensuring a proper place for

Skin burning

Findings
Our findings can be summarized as follows

The level of awareness about safe drinking water is high but the awareness about
waste disposal methods remains low.
The medical facilities available are not sufficient for the size of the population
Farmers remain unaware about environmentally friendly insecticides and pesticides
and hence causing unintentional harm to their soil.
Ponds are not used properly
Women frequently go to health care center

Conclusion
A countrys manifestation depends on some important factors. Health and environment is one of
the vital issues, which inclined a countrys overall development progression. . When the health
condition decline, an overall change occurs directly in the country. On the other hand,
environmental changes affect the whole world. The future of Bangladesh is depending on the
development of the rural life. People of Digholgaon seem to be aware of the importance of
healthy environment. Last 10 years there are a lot of changes happen in this village. Peoples
habit of sanitation and use of water for domestic purpose has changed. Villagers take care of their
children about immunization. We have analyzed the information that we have collected from the
villagers and got a distinctive knowledge. It is our belief that the government is not proactive
enough to increase the awareness and condition of local health & environment. Most of the
villagers are engaged with the speeches of the government health workers and the NGO workers.
They have learned about health care, family planning, importance of female education etc.
The above all discussions of the health and environment condition of the Digholgaon village we
can easily acknowledged that the situation of this village is more or less good enough. This

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village is closer to the bazaar, and the Comilla city. So, they have the benefit of lots of facilities.
LFE gave us an opportunity to know about the village life which may be we personally can never
earn. All the days we spent in Digholgaon village, is an extraordinary memory of our life.

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