Table 1.
Different types of water containers examined in the three regions
| Container type | Number (%) of containers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acapulco | Costa Grande | Costa Chica | All regions | |
| Water storage containers | ||||
| Barrelsa | 6379 (36.5) | 4984 (37.3) | 5352 (36.9) | 16,715 (36.9) |
| Concrete tanksb | 3021 (17.3) | 3398 (25.2) | 2939 (20.3) | 9358 (20.6) |
| Bucketsc | 4688 (26.8) | 1873 (14.0) | 2159 (14.9) | 8720 (19.2) |
| Other containersd | 863 (4.9) | 1116 (8.4) | 2622 (18.1) | 4601 (10.1) |
| Plastic tankse | 1684 (9.6) | 1176 (8.8) | 509 (3.5) | 3369 (7.4) |
| Plastic bottlesf | 492 (2.8) | 728 (5.5) | 335 (2.3) | 1555 (3.4) |
| Containers not used for water storage | ||||
| Discarded articlesg | 236 (1.3) | 48 (0.4) | 334 (2.3) | 618 (1.4) |
| Tyres | 25 (0.1) | 5 (0.04) | 183 (1.3) | 213 (0.5) |
| Plant and flowerpots | 106 (0.6) | 21 (0.2) | 77 (0.5) | 204 (0.4) |
| Total | 17,494 (100) | 13,349 (100) | 14,510 (100) | 45,353 (100) |
Terminology for water containers varies, even between states in Mexico. The terminology in this article is that used in Guerrero State
aBarrels or drums (tambos) are made of plastic or metal and hold about 2000 l (Figure 1)
bConcrete/cement tanks (pilas) are of variable size, up to thousands of litres (Figs. 2 and 3)
cBuckets (cubetas) hold between 20 l and 200 l
dOther containers used for water storage include washtubs, trays, and various kitchen utensils
eLarge plastic tanks (tinacos) are made of heavy plastic with capacity 450 l to 10,000 l (Figure 4)
fPlastic bottles (garrafones) – usually hold between 5 l and 20 l (Figure 5)
gDiscarded articles (cacharros) with configuration allowing water accumulation