20 Water for Life
Plan improvements to your water supply
After doing a Water Watch or using other methods to understand your community
water security problems, you can begin to plan improvements.
When making a plan to improve the water supply, start with local resources
including: local water sources, people with the skills to build improved wells or water
storage tanks or install pipes, or older people who remember how water was collected
many years ago. It is best to improve existing water sources before trying to develop
new ones.
Identify possible solutions
The actions your community takes to improve water security depend on which
problems are most urgent, or easiest to solve first. What is important is to make a plan
that addresses the root causes of the problems and satisfies the needs of everyone in
the community.
If water is scarce or difficult to get to, building rainwater catchment tanks, storage
tanks or a piped water system may help bring water closer to the community (see
pages 30 to 36). If this is not possible, can the work of collecting water be shared
to make it fairer and easier for everyone? If there already is a water system, can the
community improve it by improving collection methods, fixing broken pipes and
pumps, protecting water sources and conserving water? If it is a problem that should
be resolved by the government, can the community solicit government support?
If the water is contaminated by germs, the source can be improved or the water
can be treated to make it safe. The community can discuss which of these options will
be easiest, most effective, and most sustainable over time. To learn about improving
water sources, see pages 22 to 29. To learn about different methods for water
treatment, see pages 37 to 43.
If the water may be contaminated by chemicals the water should not be used
until a water quality test can be done (see page 11). If a test shows that the water is
contaminated, more contamination should be prevented and another water source
should be developed.
Health workers and water safety promoters can
help the community improve water security.