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2.7.4 Inadequate water supply
According to WHO/UNICEF (2009), access to adequate potable water means to have 20
litres of water available per capita per day at a distance of no more than 1000 meters.
PLWHA have compromised immune systems which makes them more vulnerable to
opportunistic infections such as diarrhoea, skin and eye diseases, intestinal infections, polio,
typhoid, bilharzia, malaria and worms that are caused by unhygienic practices (Phaswana-
Mafuya and Shukla, 2005). As HIV/AIDS patients need ongoing assistance in HBC from
volunteer caregivers to increase their optimum health, adequate potable water supply is
needed for preventing opportunistic infections through practicing hygiene such as washing
soiled clothing, beddings and the patients which in turn reduces water related diseases like
cholera and AIDS-related deaths and improves the quality of life for patients/clients (Lule,
Malamba, Downing, Ransom, Nakanjako, Wafula, Hughes, Bunnel, Kuharuza, Coutinho,
Kigozi & Quick, 2005: WHO, 2008).
The UNICEF (2006) report shows that the use of potable water sources by households
reduced 35% of risks of diarrhoea in PLWHA and the simple practice of washing hands with
soap can reduce up to 40% of diarrheal incidences. In addition, access to potable water is
important in HBC for PLWHA because they have to take antiretrovirals (ARVs). At least 1.5
litre of water is needed for taking ARVs to mitigate any possible side effects that may occur
(Wegelin-Schuringa and Kamminga, 2003: Hillbrunner, 2007). In five rural communities of
Botswana, a study on HIV/AIDS and access to water with volunteer caregivers and family
caregivers by Ngwenya & Kgathi (2006) revealed that despite having several sources of
water such as off-plot, outdoor (communal) and on-plot outdoor and/or indoor (private)
water connections as well as other sources such as bowsed water, well-points, boreholes and
open perennial/ephemeral water from river channels and pans, the water supply was still a
problem due to technical faults as a result caregivers were forced to economize, buy and
collect from river/dug wells or other alternative sources such as rain harvesting tanks in
government institutions. Unreliable water supply forced caregivers to use poor quality water
and practice poor hygiene such as cutting down bathing their patients from twice daily to
once or none at all (Ngwenya & Kgathi, 2006:669). A study was conducted in Zambia to
assess the effective access to potable water for home based care clients by Kangamba,
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