Assessment of the Status of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Services at Primary Schools in uMfolozi Local Municipality, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Methods and Materials
2.1. Contextualisation of Study Area
2.2. Study Design
2.3. Study Population and Sample Size
2.4. Data Collection
2.5. Data Processing and Analysis
2.6. Ethical Consideration
3. Results
3.1. Descriptive Analysis of Learners in Schools
3.2. The Status of Water Availability and Reliability in Primary Schools
3.3. The Status of Sanitation Facilities in Schools
3.4. The Status of Hygiene in Schools
4. Discussion
4.1. Water
4.2. Sanitation
4.3. Hygiene
5. Conclusions
6. Recommendations
- Increase investment in WASH infrastructure: The government should increase investment in WASH infrastructure in uMfolozi primary schools. This includes providing schools with access to reliable sources of clean water, constructing adequate sanitation facilities, and installing hygiene facilities.
- Strengthen WASH management and capacity building: The government should strengthen WASH management and capacity building at the school level. This includes training school staff on WASH management and providing them with the resources they need to implement effective WASH programmes.
- Promote community participation in WASH: The government should promote community participation in WASH. This includes working with communities to identify WASH needs, develop WASH plans, and implement WASH programmes. A conference paper by [29] revealed that in the provinces of Bam and Sanmatenga in Burkina Faso, three community self-assessments are conducted each year; at the start, middle, and end of the academic year. In order to review indicators for each target and ascertain the degree of success and difficulties, the WASH committee conducts direct observations of the school’s water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities as well as monitoring visits that involve interactive interactions between the various actors of the school community.
7. Limitations
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Count | Mean | Std Deviation | Min | Max | Con. Level 95% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of learners | 49 | 424 | 216 | 60 | 1898 | 104 |
Types of Drinking Water Sources | Frequency | % |
---|---|---|
Borehole | 15 | 23.1% |
Rainwater | 25 | 38.5% |
Schoolyard piped water | 25 | 38.5% |
Total | 65 | 100% |
Number of Drinking Water Points | Frequency | % |
---|---|---|
Borehole | 31 | 14% |
Rainwater | 156 | 72% |
Schoolyard piped water | 29 | 13% |
Total | 216 | 100% |
No. of Functional Drinking Water Points | N | % | No. of Non-Functional Drinking Water Points | N | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Borehole water | 26 | 16 | Borehole water | 5 | 9 |
Rainwater | 116 | 71 | Rainwater | 40 | 76 |
Schoolyard piped water | 21 | 13 | Schoolyard piped water | 8 | 15 |
Total | 163 | 100 | Total | 53 | 100 |
N | % | |
---|---|---|
Functioning drinking water points | 163 | 76% |
Non-functioning drinking water points | 53 | 24% |
Total | 216 | 100% |
Safety Aspect | N | % |
---|---|---|
Water tank covered with tight-fitting lid | 26 | 43% |
Area around the standpipe tap | 32 | 53% |
Water storage tank treated regularly with Jik | 2 | 3% |
Total | 70 | 100% |
Accessibility to Drinking Water Points | N (Yes) | Percentage (%) |
---|---|---|
Is at least one drinking water point accessible to the learners at the school? | 46 | 93% |
What quality characteristics apply to the drinking water on the premises? Water has no colour, odour, taste and no turbidity | 49 | 100% |
N (Yes and %) | N (No and %) | |
---|---|---|
Are there any posters promoting hygienic use of the toilets? | 2 (4.1%) | 47 (95.9) |
Is running hot water provided at handwashing facilities? | 1 (2.0%) | 48 (98%) |
Are handwashing facilities accessible to those with limited mobility? | 0 (0%) | 49 (100%) |
Are handwashing facilities accessible to the learners in schools? | 45 (91.9%) | 4 (8.1) |
Is any information about handwashing/hand hygiene visible at the school? | 2 (4.1%) | 47 (95.9%) |
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Radebe, L.C.; Mokgobu, M.I.; Molelekwa, G.F.; Mokoena, M.M. Assessment of the Status of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Services at Primary Schools in uMfolozi Local Municipality, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22, 360. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22030360
Radebe LC, Mokgobu MI, Molelekwa GF, Mokoena MM. Assessment of the Status of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Services at Primary Schools in uMfolozi Local Municipality, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2025; 22(3):360. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22030360
Chicago/Turabian StyleRadebe, Lindokuhle C., Matlou I. Mokgobu, Gomotsegang F. Molelekwa, and Matodzi M. Mokoena. 2025. "Assessment of the Status of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Services at Primary Schools in uMfolozi Local Municipality, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22, no. 3: 360. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22030360
APA StyleRadebe, L. C., Mokgobu, M. I., Molelekwa, G. F., & Mokoena, M. M. (2025). Assessment of the Status of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Services at Primary Schools in uMfolozi Local Municipality, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(3), 360. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22030360