Source Choice Perception and Sustainable Rural Water Supply Development: A Case Study of Ban Thadindam,Lopburi, Thailand

Abstract

This study seeks to examine source choice perception and sustainable rural water supply development in Ban Thadindam, a Thai village situated about 220 km north of Bangkok. It makes use of an elementary schematic matrix that was initially developed for the valuation of water sources as perceived by water users in East Africa. In applying the elementary choice scheme, the author interviewed the village Kamnan (district officer) and a few villagers. The results of this study show that a wide range of water supply sources was perceived by the Kamnan. Out of a practical range of six sources, four were perceived and accepted, roof (rain water), river, spring, and pond; and two were perceived but not accepted: well and canal. The reason why well and canal water sources were rejected was because of their hardness and turbidity. Of the four sources accepted, roof (rain water) was rated very favorably as the preferred choice while river, spring, and pond sources were judged equally favorable. Awareness of source choice and the conditions under which choice is made is crucial for the understanding and development of sustainable rural water supply. By adopting a wide combination of sources and integrating them to provide a rich water supply for treatment, and by taking advantage of filtration technology given by the Asian Institute of Technology, Environmental Engineering Division, the villagers, with the help of the Project Managing Committee, transformed the demonstration filtration facility into a sustainable rural water supply system. The latter succeeded not only in providing adequate filtered water for the majority of the households in Ban Thadindam but also in satisfying the water requirements for the whole village for two decades. The success of the rural water supply system has been attributable to many factors, but most important was the awareness the villagers have in the understanding of the interrelations between landscape, range of choice and the interaction between community participation, technology, and environment.