Water consumption in small communities of northeast Thailand

Abstract

Water consumption in 14 rural communities of northeast Thailand was studied to determine water needs and to delineate the factors that affect water use. For 13 of these communities, average daily water consumption ranged from 10 to 90 1/cap/day (liters per capita per day). In one village with free wafer distributed through house connections 24 hr/day, water usage ranged from 115 to 160 1/cap/day. Water consumption was significantly influenced by the season of year, limited hours of availability of water through the distribution system, type of water service connection, and price of water for metered house connections only. Design criteria for maximum daily and maximum hourly water demands were found to be 1.5 and 4 times the average daily water consumption, respectively. The data collected reflect initial water use values in villages where water systems are only a few years old.