Implications of household water insecurity and handwashing practices for COVID-19 vulnerabilities in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh

Keywords: household water security, handwashing, Covid-19, refugee camps, capabilities approach
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Monday
Session Start / End Time: 2/28/2022 09:40 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/28/2022 11:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 7

Abstract

Washing hands frequently is one of the health measures key to preventing the spread of COVID-19, in addition to maintaining physical distancing and wearing masks. While handwashing may be relatively easy for most people, it is challenging for those experiencing water insecurity. Focusing on the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar District, Bangladesh, the largest population of refugees on earth, we investigate the interplay between household water insecurity and COVID-19 vulnerabilities amongst refugees. From the “capabilities” perspective, articulated by Amartya Sen and others, observable hand washing behaviours can be seen as outcomes of complex material, social and individual interactions. Primary data presented here draws on a December 2020 survey with 328 respondents in three camps. We found that despite experiencing high water insecurity, refugees washed their hands frequently with the majority reporting washing their hands more than five times per day. However, compliance with physical distancing and other mitigation measures is clearly negatively impacted by water insecurity. Also, as an administered population with little control over their living conditions, refugees have high risk factors related to higher rates of pre-existing health conditions and uniformly low levels of material wealth which might otherwise mitigate water access challenges. The three camps also have significantly different water facilities that affect their water insecurities and vulnerabilities relative to each other – not all camps experience water insecurity in the same ways.