Clean Water at Home: Boreholes, Storage and Making Water Safe

Intermittent municipal supply has made storage a permanent feature of Zimbabwean households, and stored water is exactly where contamination happens. Getting clean water at home right prevents the diarrhoeal illnesses, typhoid and cholera outbreaks that recur when it goes wrong.

Storing water safely

• Use covered containers kept off the ground, with a tap or a dedicated dipper — never a cup that has been in someone's hands.
• Keep drinking water separate from washing water, in its own clearly identified container.
• Clean containers regularly with soap and rinse well; scrub the inside, not just the outside.
• Do not store water in containers that held chemicals, fuel or pesticides, ever, however well they seem to have been washed.
• Rotate stored water rather than letting it stand for weeks.
• Keep tanks shaded and closed — sunlight and open lids grow algae and admit insects.

Making doubtful water safe

If you are not confident about the source, treat it:

• Boil — bring to a rolling boil, then let it cool covered. The most reliable household method.
• Household chlorine products sold for water treatment, used strictly at the dose on the label and left to stand for the stated time.
• Filters designed for drinking water, maintained and cleaned according to their instructions.
• Settle and strain first where water is cloudy — treatment works poorly on dirty water.

Follow the product label for dosing rather than any figure you remember. Too little chlorine does not disinfect; too much is unpleasant and unnecessary.

Boreholes

A borehole is a major investment and needs a little care to stay useful:

• Site it properly — a safe distance from pit latrines, septic tanks and soakaways, and uphill of them where the ground slopes. Contamination of shallow groundwater by nearby sanitation is a genuine and common problem.
• Seal the headworks so surface water cannot run down the casing.
• Keep the apron clean and drain spillage away.
• Test the water when the borehole is new and again if taste, smell or colour changes.
• Service pumps on schedule and keep spares for the parts that fail most.
• Do not over-pump. Running a borehole beyond its yield damages both the pump and the hole.

Boreholes require permitting through the water authority; check the requirements before drilling rather than afterwards.

Tanks and pumps

Roof tanks and ground tanks with a booster pump are the standard answer to intermittent supply. Clean tanks periodically, check the inlet screen so debris and insects cannot get in, and make sure the overflow discharges away from the building. If the tank is filled from a doubtful source, treat the water for drinking regardless of how clean the tank is.

Preventing waterborne disease at home

• Handwashing with soap — after the toilet, before food, before feeding a child. It prevents more illness than any water treatment.
• Safe sanitation, with latrines maintained and kept away from water sources.
• Wash fruit and vegetables in safe water.
• Act fast on diarrhoea: give oral rehydration solution and go to a clinic promptly, especially for children and older people. Dehydration is what kills, and it can happen quickly.
• Report suspected cholera or typhoid to the clinic immediately — outbreaks are contained by early reporting.

During a water cut

Fill containers when supply returns, prioritise drinking and cooking water, keep a bucket for flushing, and be sceptical of water sold by informal vendors unless you know the source. Boil or treat anything you are unsure of.

This guide is general household information, not medical advice. If someone is ill, especially a child with diarrhoea, seek care at a clinic.

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