AN EXAMINATION OF THE SOCIOCULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE OF KASWA THERMAL WATERS IN MOKAMBO CHIEFDOM

Since ancestral times, farmers have used the thermal waters of Kaswa/Mahagi for hygienic and sanitary practices. The present study is aimed at evaluating the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the indigenous people with regards to these waters. It was carried out from 15th January to 12th April 2022 and focused on a sample of 323 adult people obtained using the Schwartz formula. The descriptive study shows that almost all of the farmers knew the location of the thermal springs had an indigenous name which meant their hyperthermia or their therapeutic virtue. 68.89% of respondents suggested volcanic or geothermal origin of the heat of these waters, the information being transmitted mainly from parents to members of their families. The practices highlighted are frequenting thermal waters for curiosity, natural hot baths, for the relief of muscular fatigue and dermatoses including wounds and scabies according to 41.13% and 39.18% of respondents respectively. The attitude highlighted is the belief in divine and ancestral power transmitted through these waters accompanied by rituals at the hot springs. Certain knowledge, attitudes and practices were dependent on the sex, age and occupation of users. These results constitute essential basic information for future multidisciplinary research with a view to enlightening the population.