•The proposed methodological approach provided the opportunity for real time data collection on diarrheal incidence from community settings through a mobile phone based surveillance system which is a contemporary approach. •This study methodology helped to get a holistic understanding of diarrhea and its risk factors by incorporating multidisciplinary and mixed method research approach. In this study qualitative/anthropological research methods and findings were fed into quantitative, microbiological and epidemiological data collection to enrich the overall findings in a contextual manner. •This study provided a scientific way to measure the water quantity for personal and domestic hygiene within the community where an unmetered water connection is predominant.