Summary Diarrhoea and water-borne diseases are leading causes of mortality in developing
countries. To understand the socio-cultural factors impacting on water safety, we documented
knowledge, attitudes and practices of water handling and usage, sanitation and defecation in
rural Tamilnadu, India, using questionnaires and focus group discussions, in a village divided
into an upper caste Main village and a lower caste Harijan colony. Our survey showed that
all households stored drinking water in wide-mouthed containers.