Present practice of washing by dhobi near ganga in varanasi

Background- Dhobi’s (washer man) traditional work gives them immunity for livelihood. But washing clothes also bear some health risks, particularly the skin problem. Traditional washing practice is also associated with pollution of water reservoirs specially river Ganga in case of Varanasi.
Methodology-The study was community based cross sectional study on men and women of dhobi (washer man) community present at the time of interview. Purposive sampling was used. Respondent were Dhobi (washer man) community of Ramnagar, a suburban area of Varanasi, India.
Result- 52% respondents encountered medical problem due to washing of clothes. 48% Dhobis had skin problem with chemical while washing clothes and knowledge of study subjects for pollution in river Ganga was 56%.
Conclusion- Problem of health risk may be minimized by shifting Dhobi from their traditional methods of washing and promoting use of washing machine, liquid detergent, dry clean and electric ironing. Micro-financing may help Dhobi in uplifting their standard of living.