Many people we spoke with told us that because of the lack of other options, they rely on shallow wells they dig themselves to access water. Although well water can be safe to drink, the wells must be deep enough to avoid groundwater contamination and at distance from latrines or areas where people defecate.[28] Because of sewage leakages in the piped water system, it is well known that the groundwater in most areas is contaminated. In addition, all the self-dug wells we saw, which were in every area we visited, were unprotected. Usually these wells had a dirty bucket and rope that were kept outside the well and dipped back in when retrieving water, providing another opportunity for contamination.