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Lucy Chipeta

Abstract

Water crises tend to impact women and men of different ages differently. In most cultures, women of different ages are primarily responsible for the use and management of water resources, sanitation and health at the household level. They are the ones who fetch water, use water for domestic purposes and therefore are affected by the impact of water crises and poor sanitation. The women and girls especially in rural areas walk long distances to fetch water while men rarely participate in such activities. This therefore puts women at a more disadvantaged position when water is scarce or when there are disruptions in the supply systems in the case of urban areas. This paper documents the experiences of women of different ages in the advent of water scarcity in the city of Blantyre. The study utilized a participatory method in collecting data. Literature was also consulted to complement field findings. The data was manually transcribed, coded and analysed by using narratives and content analysis thus highlighted the main themes and sub-themes which provide the basis for presentation of the results. The study found that women especially girls experience the impact more than boys and that their school attendance and performance is disrupted. Provision of the water facilities allow girls and women to equitably compete with the boys in productive activities.

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