Purdue Water Community

Abstract:

The rapid urbanization facing developing countries is increasing pressure on
public institutions to provide adequate supplies of clean water to populations. In most
developing countries, the general public is not involved in strategies and policies
regarding enhancement, conservation, and management of water supply systems. To assist
governments and decision makers in providing potable water to meet the increasing
demand due to the rapid urbanization, this study sought to characterize existing water
supply systems and obtain public opinion for identifying a community water supply system
model for households in a residential neighborhood in Lomé, Togo. Existing water supply
systems in the study area consist of bucket-drawn water wells, mini water tower systems,
rainwater harvesting, and public piped water. Daily domestic water consumption in the
study area compared well with findings on water uses per capita from Sub-Saharan Africa,
but was well below daily water usage in developed nations. Based on the surveys,
participants thought highly of a large scale community water tower and expressed interest
in maintaining it. Even though people rely on water sources deemed convenient for
drinking, they also reported limited confidence in the quality of these sources.