The 20-Litre Jerrican, Counted and Weighed — Epoche A2
Report on Carrying Water from the Borehole To: The village development committee, Chikwawa District, Malawi From: B. Phiri, secretary Date: 9 May 1. Why this report was written The committee asked a simple question: how much water does one family carry in a day? Two members stood at the borehole on Monday and on Tuesday, from six to nine in the morning, and counted. 2. What was counted In those hours, 41 people came and 96 containers were filled. Nearly every container was the same one: the yellow 20-litre jerrican. Many still carry the name of a cooking-oil company on the side, because that is what most jerricans were before they carried water. 3. The arithmetic One litre of water weighs one kilogram. A full jerrican therefore weighs 20 kilograms, about the weight of a six-year-old child. A family that uses five jerricans a day lifts and carries 100 kilograms of water — every day, and mostly on someone's head. 4. Suggestion The committee has money for one wheelbarrow, not for pipes. A wheelbarrow takes three jerricans in one trip, which is 60 kilograms, so one trip does the work of three. The suggestion is to buy it and lend it out by a list, one family per hour. 5. Next step The counting will be repeated in the dry season, when the queue is longer.