Average expenditure incurred on safe drinking water: a case study in Madawachchiya area

Abstract

Safe drinking water has become a marketable commodity in chronic Kidney Disease uncertain etiology [CKDu) affected areas of Sri Lanka. Purified drinking water has been delivered to doorsteps of people in those areas by many organizations at a subsidized price.Hence, this study aimed to determine the average cost incurred by a household to purchase drinking water and factors affecting the expenditure on safe drinking water. This study was conducted in Madawachchiya divisional secretariat in Anuradhapura District. Data were collected from a random sample of 50 households in each three regions (urban, semi urban and rural areas) using a structured questionnaire and analyzed by using multiple regression and mean values. Average monthly expenditure on safe drinking water incurred by a family unit in above three regions were Rs.1075.35, Rs.939.90 and Rs. 893.30, respectively. Household size [P= 0.01) and monthly average income [p=0.007) were significantly affecting for the spending on safe drinking water. According to the resuits, 87 people of the studied sample have started to consume water purified by Reverse Osmosis [RO) techniques due to low quality of water they consumed in the past. However, 10o/o people are still using'water from shallow dug wells and the remaining (3%) use water from pipe borne water. The sufficiency of water usage was very high due to prevailing dry weather conditions in study area. Therefore, it can be recommended that the authorities should take immediate steps to provide water purification filters to the areas where there are no such facilities yet.