Abstract:
Chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) is a tragedy in North Central Province
especially among farmer community. Since there was a belief that drinking water in affected
areas is the main reason for the disease, reverse osmosis (RO) plants were established to purify
water and reduce the exposure to possible nephrotoxins through drinking water. Moreover,
many campaigns were organized by the government and other parties, to inform people on the
importance of consuming purified water either by avoiding contaminated well water or by using
purification methods. Even though there have been many efforts taken to increase the
consumption of purified water, not 100% of the farmers were doing as same. The overall
objective of this study was to find out farmers’ usage of purified water for both drinking and
cooking purposes. The specific objective of the study was to examine the factors affecting on
farmers drinking water choices. The theoretical approach to the study is expected utility theory
which explains the nature of decision making under the risk. The analysis of factors affecting for
water choice was performed using Logistic Regression (logit) method. 48 farmers were
randomly selected from Kekirawa DS Division in Anuradhapura district. The results indicated
that only 40% of the farm families were consuming RO purified water. Majority of them were
consuming purified water only for drinking purposes. Those who were consuming RO purified
water were having kids in their home, having some knowledge on CKDu, educated or willing to
pay for purified water. According to the study more than 60% of the respondents believed that
chemicals used for agricultural activities are leached to ground water sources and that is
affecting on kidney diseases. This study concludes that, not all the farmers in Kekirawa DS
Division are consuming RO purified water yet. Even though RO purified water is available in
CKDu affected areas, not all the people can afford it since they have to pay for it or do not know
the importance of consuming it.
