Water quantity
Some disease occur when there is insufficient water for washing and personal hygiene. The simple act of washing hands with soap and water can reduce Shigella and other types of diarrhoea by up to 35%. Yet the lack of water means that people cannot keep their hands, bodies and domestic environments clean: skin and eye infections then spread easily.
Time to collect water
When drinking-water is not available in the home or close to it, the time taken to collect water (that is, to go to the source, stand in line, fill water containers and return home) is critical in determining whether a household can obtain enough water for drinking, food preparation and personal hygiene.
Studies have found that if the time spent collecting drinking- water is between 3 and 30 minutes, the amount collected is fairly constant and suitable to meet basic needs – defined as between 15 and 25 litres per person per day. However, if the total time taken per round trip exceeds 30 minutes, people tend to collect less water, thus compromising their basic drinking-water needs. [read more…]
Millions of people must spend hours every day fetching water on foot, most often carrying it for miles on their heads or shoulders. This has direct implications for hygiene and health. In addition, the time it takes to fetch water is lost to other productive activities, including education. Finally, in areas that are ridden with ethnic conflict and violence, women and children are at greater risk of being violently assaulted while fetching water.
The MDG indicator does not include a measure for time taken to collect water. However, some argue that because it is a factor in drinking-water use, the time needed to collect water should be considered when determining whether a source is 'improved' or not.
Key behaviours for good hygiene
- hand washing with soap (or ash);
- safe disposal of children's faeces;
- safe water handling and storage.
In many African countries, one third of the improved drinking-water sources that are not piped on premises need a collection time of more than 30 minutes.
