Drawers of water: assessing domestic water use in Africa

Abstract

This paper reviews the book of water: domestic water use in East by Gilbert White David Bradley and Anne White which is now considered a public health classic. It is noted that data reported in this book which was the first thorough study of water use in a developing country from the consumer’s point of view were acquired between 1966-68 through interviews and observations at study sites in Kenya Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. The researchers examined the use of water for basic consumption hygiene and amenities in domestic life and assessed the social cost of obtaining water. The following of the book’s findings influenced water policy and practice for years to come: 1) It presented a typology of water-related diseases based on their transmission routes; 2) It suggested that increasing the quantity of water used per capita could be more important for a households health and well-being; 3) It suggested that the addition of a closer but still distant water source would not necessarily increase household water use; and 4) it raised incisive questions about the desirable intermediate goals needed to meet demand for water in both rural and urban areas. Moreover information from the book has enabled Drawers of Water II Team to carry out a study on the changes of domestic water use in East Africa over the last three decades.