CSEC SOCIAL STUDIES SCHOOL BASED

ASSESSMENT
An investigation into how residents are coping with the water shortage problem in the country

Candidate Name: Uchenna M. Ohaegbulam

Candidate Number: 0100160395

School: St. Joseph’s Academy

Centre Number: 010016

Subject: Social Studies

Territory: Antigua & Barbuda

Year of Examination: May/June 2024

Topic: An Investigation into how residents are coping with

the water shortage problem in the country
Table of Contents
Acknowledgement..............................................................................................................................1
Statement of Problem.........................................................................................................................2
Rationale..............................................................................................................................................3
Method of Investigation......................................................................................................................4
Data Collection Instrument................................................................................................................5
Procedures for Data Collection.........................................................................................................7
Presentation of Data...........................................................................................................................8
Analysis and Interpretation of Data................................................................................................12
Statements of Findings....................................................................................................................13
Recommendations and Implementation of Strategy....................................................................14
Bibliography.......................................................................................................................................15
Books..............................................................................................................................................15
Website...........................................................................................................................................15
Appendix............................................................................................................................................16
Acknowledgement

Completing this SBA successfully took the effort and support of a variety of personnel. For

that reason, it is necessary to dedicate special recognition to the people of the St. Johns

community, Antigua for their continued support and valuable time spent on completing

questionnaires given.

Family members, friends and well-wishers were also a source of encouragement and

motivation for completing this SBA in a timely manner. Finally, many thanks goes out to my

teachers for their continued guidance every step of the way through this SBA.

1
Statement of Problem

How are residents of Antigua W.I. coping with the water problem affecting the country?

2
Rationale

Arguably the most prevalent issue in Antigua and Barbuda, within recent years, is the

shortage of non-potable water. With a necessity as vital as this, one would anticipate a clean

and consistent supply, however, for many residents this is simply not the case.

This challenge poses severe implications for the nation’s communities, agriculture and many

other economic sectors. Thereby leaving many residents, including the researcher, pondering

why a resource as crucial as water, is so inaccessible.

Therefore, under the guide of the CSEC® Social Studies syllabus, the researched has decided

to conduct this School-Based Assessment centered around this issue; to delve deeper it the

cause and impact of this shortage, and consider plausible solutions.

3
Method of Investigation

The data sample to be collect will be obtained exclusively from residents of mainland
Antigua, of this slated study area, 25 randomly selected males and females between ages 12-
80 will receive a 13-question questionnaire.

The questions will be relatively simple and general, consisting of both open-ended and close-
ended questions. The results will then be tabulated and organized into analyzable charts and
graphs, to draw an overall consensus on the opinions of residents on the issue being
investigated.

Questionnaires as a method of data collection provide a quick, practical, and easily

understandable means of gathering opinions on a topic. However, a notable limitation of this
method is its inability to gauge emotion in regards to the topic.

4
Data Collection Instrument

Correspondence Letter

Dear Respondent,

I am a 5th Form student currently attending the St. Joseph’s Academy and I am

required to conduct research to obtain information under the topic “An investigation into how

respondents are coping with the water shortage problem in the country?” for the CSEC®

Examinations in 2024 for the May/June sitting.

You are advised to answer ALL questions truthfully and as accurately as possible.

Your identity will remain anonymous. Kindly indicate your response by placing an ‘X’ in the
✘
box provided .

Thank You for your kind cooperation.

Yours Faithfully,

Uchenna Ohaegbulam

5
Procedures for Data Collection

Procedures for Data Collection

 To collect this data, the researcher first typed a draft version of the
questionnaire seen above.

 Following this, the researcher handed the questionnaire to the teacher for
review, scrutiny and any corrections that could be made.

 The final draft was then submitted to the teacher for the “go ahead” in order to
travel to the study area and distribute.

 Upon receiving the “go ahead” the researcher retyped and finalized the
questionnaire and 25 copies were printed to be distributed randomly amongst
individuals in the study area.

 Time was given to the questionnaire takers to complete and submit to the
researcher. They were then collected and each individual question response
was tallied.

The final results were then tabulated relative to each other for analyzation and interpretation.

6
Presentation of Data

Figure 1. Bar Graph showing Respondents Gender

Gender of Repondents
60% 56%

50% 44%
40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Male Female

Figure 2. Pie Chart showing Age Group of Respondents

Age Group of Respondents

4%
12-14'
15-17'
18-19

96%

Figure 3. Bar Graph showing Respondents Awareness of Water Shortage Issue

7
 Respondent Awareness of Water Shortage
60% 56%

50%

40% 36%

30%

20%

10% 8%

0%
Unaware Partially Aware Very Aware

Figure 4. Pie Chart showing Respondents Perception of how serious the water
Issue Is

Respondents Perception of how serious the

water issue is

Not at all
24% Mildly
36% Neutral
Greatly

40%

Figure 5. Table showing average amount of water consumed by Respondents

daily.

Range of Water Consumption Number of Respondents within each range

1000-2999 ml 8%
3000-4999 ml 64%
5000-6000 ml 28%

Figure 6. Bar Graph showing the Frequency Respondents receive Water supply

8
 Respondents of the frequecy they receive
government water
35% 32%
30%

25% 24% 24%

20%
16%
15%

10%

5%

0%
Never Seldom Sometimes Often

Figure 7. Pie Chart showing whether Respondents have implemented Water

Conservation Measures.

Respondents on if they implemented

water conservation measures

Yes
36% No

64%

Figure 8. Pie Chart showing how often Respondents use the Measures they
Implemented

Respondents on how often they use them

45%
40%
40%
35%
30%
24% 24%
25%
20%
15% 12%
10%
5%
0%
Never Seldom Sometimes Often

9
Figure 9. Pie Chart showing whether respondents utilize private water sources

Respondents on if they have used private

water sources

Yes
No

100%

Figure 10. Pie Chart showing Respondents Awareness of Water Conservation

programs

Respondents on their awareness of

water conservation programs

Yes
36% No

64%

Figure 11. Table showing how much the Water Shortage has impacted
Respondents daily life.
Level of Effect Number of Respondents at each level of effect
Not at all 32%
Mildly 16%
Neutral 48%
Greatly 4%

Figure 12. Table showing Respondents reasoning for water shortage

Possible Cause of Water Shortage Disagree Neutral Neutral

Inefficient Management of Supply 8% 40% 52%

10
 Climate Change 16% 36% 52%

Outdated Infrastructure 16% 32% 48%

Figure 13. Table showing the opinions of Respondents as to Urbanization and

the Water Shortage
Possible Cause of Water Shortage Disagree Neutral Agree
Urbanization 28% 44% 28%

11
Analysis and Interpretation of Data

Fig. 1 and 2 seek to determine the demographics of Respondents, which was found to be a fairly even
Male to Female split (44% to 56%) and (24/25), i.e., 96% of Respondents falling within the age range
of 15-17 years. Meaning demographics is likely 4th and 5th Form students from both Genders.

Figure 3 and 4 both seek to gauge the extent to which Respondents perceive the Water Shortage
problem as impactful. (23/25) i.e., 92% of Respondents claim to have some level of awareness to the
Issue and is therefore a fairly pressing problem in the community. Furthermore, when asked how
serious they perceive this problem to be 36% said “Greatly” and another 24% responded “Mildly”.
Interestingly however, (10/25), i.e., 40% of Respondents described the seriousness of the shortage as
“Neutral”, while 0% of Respondents said it is “Not Serious at all”.

Figure 5 and 6 looks at the water situation at the Respondents home. Firstly, by objectifying how
much water the Respondents use daily, we were able to conclude that (16/25), 64% of Respondents
fall within the average range of 3000-4999 ml of water per day, while (7/25), 28% of Respondents
utilize between 5000-6000 ml monthly in their home, and only 8% utilize 1000-2999 ml of water
monthly. Surprisingly, based on data Respondents claim to receive government-issued water more
often than not with (8/25), 32% of Respondents responding “Sometimes” and (6/25), 24%
Responding “Often”. However (12/25), 44% of Respondents fall within the ‘Barely to Never’
category when it comes to receiving Government water.

Figs. 7 and 8 seek to explore how water conservation measures have been deployed by Respondents.
With approximately 64% claiming to have implement some sort of Water Conservation system in
their homes, while the remaining 36% have not. Additionally, most (40%) of Respondents claim to
use these systems “Often’, 24% ‘Sometimes’, and another ‘24%’ ‘Never.

Fig. 9 Reveals that an astounding 100% (25/25) Respondents have turned to utilized privatized, non-
governmental water sources. To combat the inconsistent supply respondents have employed their own
cisterns and tanks to provide water for their household.

Fig 10 and 11. Sets out to see if respondents are Aware of any ongoing Water Conservation Programs
and revealed that only 36% of Respondents were, while the remaining 64% were not. While Fig. 11
reveals that for majority of Respondents (12/25), 48% the shortage has only had a Neutral impact on
their daily life and for another 32% it has no impact whatsoever.

Figs. 12 and 13 Both seek to explore the how Respondents feel about possible causes of the Water
Shortage. The tables articulate 4 possible reasons and shows the number of Respondents who Agree
or Disagree with each one. Overall Respondents felt most confident that Urbanization was the cause
of the Shortage, backed by its 28% agreement amongst respondents. However, many choose to take a
Neutral Stance in almost all possible causes, an ode to the fact that most Antiguan Residents
genuinely do not know the cause of the Water Scarcity.

All in all, to combat the Water Shortage issue in Antigua W.I. its residents have looked to implement
Alternative Water sources in their home, and have looked to implement internal Water Conservation
Measures to help save what little water they have.

12
Statements of Findings

From the analyzed data the Researcher was able to draw three concrete statements of
Findings:

1. With reference to Fig.3:

Residents of Antigua and Barbuda are aware and acknowledge the Water shortage
issue. With 92% claiming some level of awareness. This indicates that the water
shortage problem is widely recognized and considered pressing in the community.

2. With reference to Fig. 9:

Residents if Antigua and Barbuda have turned to utilizing privatized, non-
governmental water sources, such as cisterns and tanks, to combat the inconsistent
supply of government water. This highlights the reliance of residents on alternative
water sources to meet their household needs.

3. With reference to Fig. 11 and 12:

Residents of Antigua and Barbuda are inconclusive and unsure as to the cause of the
Water shortage issue. This highlights how little has been done by the government and
the powers that be to shed light on the issue.

13
Recommendations and Implementation of Strategy

Based on the Findings I recommend that:

 Enhance the quality and consistency of government-issued non-potable water to
residents.

 Strength community engagement and togetherness on issues faced.

Methods to implement these strategies:

Address issue head on and invest in upgrading and maintaining government water
supply infrastructure. Address issues such as leakages in pipes, improper holding,
distribution inefficiencies, and water treatment to enhance the quality and
accessibility of government-provided water.

Mobilize skilled labor to bring their expertise to repair pipelines and holding facilities.
Utilize personnel with knowledge of large-scale water filtration and desalination to
ensure water is in constant suppl and not hindered by drought.

Introduce financial incentives or rebates for residents who adopt water-saving

practices and invest in water-efficient appliances or technologies. Encourage
behavioural changes by rewarding conservation efforts and promoting sustainable
water usage practices among households.

Develop and implement comprehensive public awareness campaigns to educate

residents about the water shortage issue, its causes, and the importance of water
conservation. Utilize various channels such as social media, community events, and
educational workshops to reach a wide audience.

14
Bibliography

Books
Waterman Ivan, Fisher Janey, Social Studies for CSEC® Examinations, 3rd Edition,
Macmillan Education, Macmillan Publishers Limited, Oxford, 2012.

Website
Pollution, Boudreau Diane, McDaniel Melissa, Sprout Erin, Turgeon Andrew, National
Geographic Society, (No Date Noted),
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/pollution/, 4th February 2022.

Air Pollution, (No Writers Credited), World Health Organization, (No Date Noted),
https://careertrend.com/about-4744945-bank-receptionist-job-description.html, 4th February
2022.

Water Pollution: Everything You Need to Know, Denchak Melissa, NRDC, 14th May 2018,
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/water-pollution-everything-you-need-know, 4th February 2022.

15
Appendix

Appendix 1: Copy of Questionnaire sent to Respondents

1. What is your gender?

Male Female

2. What is your age?

12-14yrs 15-17yrs 18-19yrs

3. How aware are you of the current nation-wide water shortage?

Unaware Partially Aware Very Aware

4. How serious do you perceive the water problem to be?

Not at all Mildly Neutral Greatly

5. On average, what is the approximate amount of water consumed by your household

monthly?
1000-2999ml 3000-4999ml 5000-6000ml

6. How often do you receive government issued water supply?

Never Seldon Often All the time

7. Have you implemented any water conservation measures at home?

Yes No

8. If yes, how often do you engage these measures?

Never Seldom Occasionally Often

9. Have you utilized any non-government/alternative water source? (e.g., cistern, tank)
Yes No

10. Are you aware of any awareness programs that effectively promote water conservation?
Yes No

11. How much has the water shortage affected your daily life?

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 Not at all Mildly Neutral Greatly

12. Inefficient Management of supply caused the water shortage. Opinion?

Disagree Neutral Agree

13. Climate change plays a major role in the water shortage. Opinion?
Disagree Neutral Agree

14. Outdated/improper infrastructure caused the water shortage. Opinion?

Disagree Neutral Agree

15. Urbanization is a leading factor in the water crisis. Opinion

Disagree Neutral Agree

Appendix 2: Water Pipe being restored by Antigua Public Utilities Authority employees

17
Appendix 3: Local Antiguan Resident utilizes Tank system in home

18