These dams can best be described as big wells and they store water during the rainy season for for most part of the year. During the dry season, some of them dry up, but for most of them, the water level gets so low that the water becomes muddy. Also, almost all of them have not been desilted for a long time, with the Vittin Dam, located at Vittin being no exception. The interesting thing about this dam is that it is used by the people for everything: cooking, bathing, drinking, swimming, fishing and what have you. Livestock also drink from it.

The main path whereby rain water flows into this dam is through a big gutter or drainage system. This drainage system could be approximately 50 km in length alone. It even extends beyond the dam to other villages nearby. I observed that at some point along the drainage, the water passing through it is polluted by human, liquid and solid waste. Also, the cattle that drink from it defecate into it, not to mention the human beings who walk, play and bath in it. Inspite of all these risk, there is no reported outbreak of disease among the people who depend on the dam for survival.

After all these years of drinking this seemingly "polluted", nobody see the need to treat the water. The water itself looks blackish. When the level is low, it's muddy. According to the people, this what has sustained their grandfathers until now. If it was harmful, it would have eliminated them. Besides, there are days when the taps do not flow, so that they have no alternative but to rely on the dam.

I believe the dam might be polluted to some extent, but this instance confirms an adage we learnt when we were growing up: "African germs don't kill. It's the white man's germs that kills". As a result of this adage, we never bothered to wash our dirty hands before eating. Well, is this adage true? Your guess is as good as mine.