NEPALGUNJ, Nov 1: A study by the Central Department of Statistics has vindicated the claims of health officials who said open defecation was one of the major reasons of cholera outbreak in the west that claimed around 400 lives.
The study showed only 16.8% households in the midwestern region use toilets, well below the national average which itself is dismal at 23.3%. The cholera outbreak, which started from Jajarkot district in the midwestern region in April, had claimed around 300 lives in the region including 154 in Jajarkot alone.
The department, however, put access to drinking water in the region at a relatively good state. Organizing an interaction in Nepalgunj, the department said 44.3% of people in the region have access to drinking water which is around the national average of 45%. The report says 28.3% of those having drinking water facility use deep tubewell.
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