Descriptions of questions asked during interviews concerning coping
With the problems of drought and flooding caused by climate variability

For the purposes of the field investigation, different questionnaires were developed to guide interviews that would describe the coping mechanisms and practices used by the communities, municipalities, agencies involved in water supply and sewage disposal and the health sector. Preliminary questions in each concerned the identification of the location and the interviewee. Common questions, except for those institutions responsible for health and the distribution of water, dealt with the following:

• The source of potable water,
• If the source was a well, was it dug by ENACAL or privately
• If the source went dry during periods of drought,
• What was done to prevent a lack of water,
• If the source were affected by flooding,
• What was done to protect the water source from flooding, and who or what institution was responsible,
• What was done to protect the water source in general,
• Was irrigation used and if so, what was the source,
• Who is the person in the family (or institution) responsible for guaranteeing potable water supply,
• Who is the person in the family (or institution) responsible for guaranteeing irrigation water supply,
• Whether or not the community had a water committee and, if so, what was its gender makeup,
• Whether or not the interviewee was originally from that locality and if the individual had other family members living in the area or in another community,
• If there had been conflicts over the use of water and, if so, of what type and how were they resolved,
• If there were coordination between institutions during flood or drought emergencies,
• If the community or institution had an emergency plan.

For the government institutions in charge of water supply and sewage management, the following questions were asked:

• At both the rural and urban levels, what are the predominant sources of water?
• What emergency plans did they have if water became unavailable?
• What was done to protect water sources?

For the health sector, the following questions were added:

• Where are the hospitals, clinics, and administrative headquarters located?
• What were the diseases that had their origin in water and which ones were most frequently reported?
• How severe were these sicknesses?
• What age and sex were most affected?
• What is the emergency plan in case of flood or drought?
• Was an emergency source of water available?
• What government institutions did they coordinate with in case of emergencies caused by drought or flood? And,
• Did they do anything to protect their water source?