Going to Fetch Water

We first had piped water in our village when a pipe was put at Ashley Gate. Before that we had to go to the springs or rivers to fetch water. Women had to go to a place called Flat Rock to wash clothes. No sooner had the pipe been put in than fights over water began. Some families consisted of eight or nine persons at the time. They would put a huge washtub under the pipe and each member of the family would full their jug from it. They would not move that washtub until every vessel in their yard that could hold water was full. Other persons would object to just one set of people preventing others from getting access to water for more than two hours sometimes. As a result it was the families who had the strength in numbers and brute force who prevailed. After a while my grandmother got fed up of this and so we got water piped into our yard. Eventually everybody started taking in piped water into their homes. But people living in remote areas still went to the springs or rivers for their water. Although we had piper water we still used rain water. We had a zinc roof and the water from the roof would be piped through gutters to some steel drums. This water could be used for cooking, bathing and washing.