The weight of water

If you are not familiar with a 'jerry can'? It is a 20 liter container, originally designed for fuel, that has been adopted as a means of transporting water. There are ubiquitous here in Uganda. People (and I mean women and children mostly) will walk great distances to fill them, stand in line to have their turn, and then return home with as many cans as one can carry - which could be two or even three (one on the head, one in each hand).

This is not an easy task. First you must manually pump a well to fill your cans. Once filled, you transport them. The approximate weight of a filled can is around...what? Well? Let's think about this. One liter is about 1 kilo, which is about 2.2 pounds? So each jerry can, at 20 liters, weighs around 44 lbs? When was the last time you had 44 pounds on your head? (Don't try this at home). Now add 44 more pounds to your hand. Maybe strap an infant to your back. Now walk a block. Think you could do it? How about walking 1km* with this weight? Now, when you get home, use this water to cook dinner for your family. When you get up tomorrow, you'll need to repeat this process. Tired yet?

Photos today are from a water point just down the street from our lodging. One of many boreholes in Gulu. This familiar routine happens every day, in every district, in all of Northern Uganda. What does one do in the dry season when your usual water point is unavailable? Tell your family you can't provide water for the day? Not really an option. You walk farther. You carry more water. You bear the weight.

*The government's aim is that no one travel further than 1km for access to a clean water point. In actuality, many still do, especially in the remote areas which are being resettled.

Posted by Jake Herrle