Restriction on the amount of drinking water  - the most worrying of coping strategies people adopt is to restrict the amount of water they drink. People drink less so that the little water in the pot lasts longer.

Apart from infants and little children, who are generally considered priority consumers, the rest of the family (are compelled to) drink just a few cups a day. I remember a scenario where our grandmother kept the key to the little room where we kept our drinking pot. She noted the number of times each of us had drunk and only opened the door to those who had drunk the least.

Restriction on bathing - people also restrict the number of times they bathe, usually to once a day. Given the kind of hot weather and dusty environment we live in it can become very unpleasant to cope with such restrictions.

As a further consequence, children restrict the range of games they play as well as where they play to avoid making themselves dirty and to avoid insults and punishments (sometimes corporal) giving out by their parents, allowing their development to suffer.

Limit on cooking - some households limit their cooking times and resort to buying cooked food from the local restaurants called 'chop bars' or from street vendors, swelling food expenses. 'Chop bars' operate in unhygienic environments which has further implications on health and, in turn, medical expenses.

Restriction on washing - both kitchen utensils and clothes. Families generally eat together in communal bowls instead of using separate plates. This is good in terms of promoting family unity and cohesion and for preserving water but bad for health and hygiene.

Floors and bathrooms are generally only swept and not washed with water. People limit the number of clothes they wear per week and try as much as possible to wear one dress for as long as the odour is not too bad. People are also very selective when choosing the type or colour of dress to wear, preferring those that do not attract dirt too easily and those that can soak up as much sweat as possible.

Use of unsafe water - from puddles, springs, potholes and even drains. These are mostly not for drinking but may be used to wash floors, utensils, clothes and so on. A research in Teshie near Accra that WaterAid and others conducted recently revealed that people use sea water to wash their utensils and bathe after which they use purified sachet water to rinse their bodies. A similar practice also occurs in some villages around Lake Bosomtwe, where drinking water is very scarce so citizens are compelled to bathe directly and wash everything in the salty lake.