A Study of a Rudimentary Potable Water System in a Rural Community

Abstract

A comprehensive study was conducted to evaluate a rural community's efforts to solve its potable water problem. Residents of St. Margaret village has built a rudimentary water storage facility through their community efforts and run a network of water supply to the households of the vil-lage. The study analyzed the water quality of the reservoir for physical, chemical and microbio-logical parameters by using standard water quality measurements and compared it between the wet and the dry seasons. The results indicate that the temperature and the pH were highest in the month of April. The phosphate level was high during the month of November whereas the dis-solved oxygen level was lowest during November. The presence of fecal coliforms and other pa-thogenic microbes such as Salmonella and Shigella suggested that the water bodies are not safe for human consumption. The survey of the households in the village also revealed that health ail-ments associated with gastrointestinal tract are common among the people using the water for drinking purpose. The community's effort in finding solution to their potable water problem has been demonstrated in the design and execution of the rudimentary reservoir in the St. Margaret village. Although majority of the inhabitants of the village have only primary-level education, they were able to carry out a major engineering project.