Geospatial analysis of health risks and solid waste management behaviour

The lack of proper waste management behaviour creates environmental debasement and induces health risks. This study employs primary survey data collected in 2016 to investigate the association between health risks and improper waste management behaviour by households in three locations of Rupandehi District, Nepal. The health risk is measured by a series of water-related symptoms such as Diarrhea, Jaundice, Typhoid Fever, Worms, and Cholera. This paper’s novel contribution is that we identify the spatial nature of the prevalence of waterborne diseases and related factors such as solid waste management behaviour, hygiene infrastructure and personal cleanliness, and socio-economic status of the households. We use a spatial autoregressive model under the negative binomial family, and the result indicates a significant spatial autocorrelation of waterborne diseases. Moreover, we find the significant effect of improper waste management practices on waterborne diseases. The result is consistent even after various robustness and falsification tests. The findings from this study indicate the acute need to raise awareness concerning the malicious effect of improper waste management and the urge to provide wider access to waste management services.