Soapy water, a cheaper alternative to bar soap, evolved by the ICDDR, B (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh) has become very relevant at this hour of the global war against coronavirus that involves frequent hand washing by all to keep clear of contamination by the virus. A scientist at the iocddr,b told a Dhaka television channel on Saturday evening that the World Health Organisation has contacted them over the cheaper handwashing alternative. He said that only four teaspoonfuls of detergent powder worth Taka 4 (half a cent) mixed with a bottle of water makes the soapy water solution which a family can use for one full week.
Knowledgeable quarters are of the opinion that like ORT (Oral Rehydration Therapy) of icddr,b that revolutionized diarrhoea treatment around the world soapy water could also come and an affordable alternative to poor families across the globe as frequent hand washing had become a must to keep safe from the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
A study on the community level application of this soapy solution had come up with this conclusion – ‘Soapy water was an acceptable low-cost handwashing agent alternative to bar soap in rural low-income communities. Even in the absence of the project provided detergent, households prepared this low cost (solution) easily and kept it at the handwashing station. Soapy water may increase habitual handwashing by addressing key barriers such as cost, sharing and availability near a water source. ..’ Its longer-term impact on habits and health, however, needs further evaluation, the conclusion says.
Longer-term health effect, if kept aside, for now, soapy water appears to await reception as a hot item among the poor across the world provided the World Health Organisation ensures its proper extension with knowledge support from the icddr,b. In the war against coronavirus soapy water will be a key weapon for the poor and the rich alike at this hour of global emergency.
Mostafa Kamal Majumder