Water

Most respondents in the low-income household survey had some access to water on a regular basis. However, the quality of this access varied considerably. The kind of water source and the numbers of people who shared it made a considerable difference to the hardship which different households experienced in getting water. As can be seen from table 18, there were only marginal differences between households in the kind of water source they used. Just over half of the respondents had water piped into the dwelling they occupied, with a further one third having it piped into their yards. Only 10 per cent were dependent on some other source, most often a public stand-pipe.

Table 18. Percentage of different types Or household by principal water source

Type of household	Principal source of water
	Piped to dwelling	Piped to yard only	Public	Neighbor	Other
Female - headed	52	38	5	3	3
Male-headed	61	28	3	6	2
Joint-headed	55	35	5	2	2
Overall	55	35	5	3	2

a / River. stream nearby institution. private tank.

To a large degree the kind of access that respondents had to water was determined by the area where they lived. In nine of the 42 areas surveyed over half the respondents had water piped into their yard only and there were three areas in particular where more than a third of the respondents were dependent on a public standpipe supply.

Levels of sharing of water supply were also high with nearly one third of the respondents indicating that they shared their water source with 25 or more people. The levels of sharing increased dramatically from the inner city which was relatively well supplied to the peripheral areas of the city where water supply was often a major problem for residents.

Some differences between different types of household emerged when it came to the kinds of payment people made for water. However, these were not particularly significant and can largely be accounted for by the higher likelihood of female-headed households being renters. Under most rental agreements the owner of the property is expected to pay the water bill. When the owner has a number of tenants on the same property he or she often arranges for shared payment of the bill. Over one quarter of the households were not paying any water rates at all and less than a third were making payments on an individual basis.

Respondents were asked about where they bathed. Again no significant levels of difference were found between different types of households as can be seen from table 19.

Table 19. Percentage of different types of households by kind of bathing faculty

Type of facility	Type of household
	Female- headed	Male- headed	Joint- headed	Total
Inside private	49	50	52	50
Inside shared	8	8	9	8
Outside private	15	12	13	14
Standpipe in yard	2	2	2	2
Standpipe nearby	I	1	0	0
River of gully	0	1	0	0
Pail or plastic bath	2	2	2	2
Other	2	2	1	2
None	0	1	1	1

Auntie

People in Auntie's household travel two and a half miles to obtain fresh water which has to be carried back on a minibus. This process costs at least $30 a week. They get the water from the public standpipe at Greenwich Farm. Initially they could get water from a dredging operation which is much closer to them. However. two years ago the man who controls that pipe stopped people using it because his wife had been abused by people from the area.

Deula

Women who live in Highlight View where Deula lives carry water for up to a mile when they wish to bathe so that they can do it in the privacy of their own yards. Men in the community however shower directly under the "fallin" which is a strong flow of water that falls out of a pipe protruding from the hillside. The "fallin" drops down into the valley below and serves as a water source for many hundreds of people.

Icie

Lena

Marcia

Megan

Water is obtained from a standpipe about half a mile away. Over 200 people use the same standpipe she uses. Sometimes the pressure is low and the waiting is too long so she has to walk for miles to get water.

Pansy

One of Pansy's main problems is the water. Although the sites-and-service scheme included a planned water supply the National Water Commission has never actually connected the supply because the residents have never received titles to their land from the Government. The ability to produce a land title is considered a prerequisite for connection.

Pansy gets water from a business place nearby her house. She uses a hose to fill drums and pays $30 monthly to the business. This water is used for all domestic purposes including flushing of the WC which is located inside the house. Other people in the area carry water from a nearby standpipe.

Verona

Water comes "under the fence" through a hose connected to a neighbour's supply but the water connection at the neighbour's is illegal and no water rates are paid. She showers in an open bathing area at the back of the yard.

Toilets

Female-headed households were more likely than other households to be sharing toilet facilities as can be seen from table 20.

Table 20. Percentage Or different types Or household by toilet arrangements

Type of toilet arrangement	Type of household
	Female- headed	Male- headed	Joint- headed
Shared	46	33	41
Private	54	67	59

Auntie

Defaecation is done in pails with the faeces being dumped in the sea. It is impossible to build a pit latrine because the household lives right at sea level.

She doesn't like the lack of toilet and water facilities or the rats. They swim over in the nights and eat the chickens. The lack of light is also a problem as is the presence of sand and dust which gets particularly bad when there is a stiff breeze.

Deula

Lena

Letty

She has an inside flush toilet.

Marcia

Megan

She feels ashamed that she does not have a bathroom or a toilet of her own and that she has to use her neighbour's.

Pam

Pam has problems with the woman she shares her house with and most of these problems centre on the toilet.

Verona

The household uses a pit latrine.