Today we can use enough water without any troubles in our everyday life --- for drinking, cooking, washing, bathing, farming, and so on. However, people in old times suffered from water shortages as well as floods many times, and it was not easy for them to get water.
In 2000, we asked elder people in our village some questions regarding water and researched relationship between water and our life. We would like you to share the research.
Until about 35 years ago, people in our village got most of their drinking water from a well dug in each house's site.
They used the river water stored in irrigation channels for washing, bathing, farming, and so on.
However, there was a big drought at the end of 1967, and people suffered from a large-scale water shortage. Then villagers decided to build private water-supply systems so that they could use ground water constantly despite weather. This system made villager's life a little easier.
Ground water is pumped up from the well, and sent to the concrete tank on a small hill. And the water is supplied to households in our village. Today about 10 households use the water for washing, bathing, watering plants, and so on.
The construction of Tsuyama City Drinking Water Treatment Plant which utilizes the water of Kamo River started in 1972. Since 1975, the city tap water service has been available in our village. Today most of villagers use the tap water for drinking, cooking, washing, bathing, gardening, and so on.
Researched by LABO Torigoe Party Senior Group in 2000
Photographed and translated by TORIGOE Yuko in 2002
Okayama, Japan
Update: 2002/10/14 16:22:20
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