The study was done across three small communities in close
proximity, two of which initially were conveniently selected
because of their being provided, by the local service provider, with a
piped water supply during the study period. At the beginning of the
study, their most consistent water supplies consisted of untreated
water from a small nearby river and its tributaries and when available,
water from drill-wells fitted with hand-pumps (often subject
to breakdown) and a water tanker service often prone to nondelivery.
These rudimentary services were unreliable to the extent
that the two communities were collecting water for drinking and
other domestic purposes from the open untreated sources for more
than half of the time. After the first 17 weeks for one and 18 weeks
for the other village, these unreliable water supply services (handpumps
and tanker) were each replaced with a small-community
water supply system, distributing potable water through a network
of communal taps throughout each community. These new systems
were expected to be reliable by continuously supplying safe
drinking water.