scholarly journals Groundwater quality assessment for domestic purposes in Mpherembe, northwest of Mzimba district, Rural Malawi

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mastano Nambiro Woleson Dzimbiri ◽  
Jonathan Levy ◽  
Emmanuel Chilanga ◽  
Chifundo Mtenga ◽  
Oluwaseun Olubodun
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Groundwater Quality ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
World Health ◽  
Waterborne Diseases ◽  
Domestic Water ◽  
Mineral Concentration ◽  
Household Water Treatment

Abstract Access to potable water is a public health problem in Malawi. Knowledge of water quality can significantly reduce waterborne diseases amongst users. The present study examines the groundwater quality for domestic use in Mpherembe, northwest of Mzimba district rural Malawi. Ten (10) water samples were collected from various sources and subsequently tested for physio-chemical and microbiological parameters using standard methods. The results obtained were compared against the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MS 733:2005) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for drinking water quality. The microbiological examination of water samples revealed the presence of E. coli bacteria (range 62-136cfu/100m), and high levels of turbidity (range 5.58–46.8 NTU) in wells. However, Magnesium hardness and Electrical Conductivity (EC) were recorded high in boreholes compared to wells. The presence of faecal matter and high mineral concentration in domestic water is a health risk when consumed prior to treatment. To ensure public health safety, interventions that focus on household water treatment such as chlorination are recommended in this study area.

scholarly journals Assessing Potable Water Quality and Identifying Areas of Waterborne Diarrheal and Fluorosis Health Risks Using Spatial Interpolation in Peshawar, Pakistan

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2163
Author(s):  
Mahmood Ahmad ◽  
Arshad Jamal ◽  
Xiao-Wei Tang ◽  
Mohammed A. Al-Sughaiyer ◽  
Hassan M. Al-Ahmadi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
World Health ◽  
Faecal Coliforms ◽  
Entire Study ◽  
Distribution Mapping ◽  
Potable Water Quality

Waterborne diseases have become one of the major public health concerns worldwide. This study is aimed to investigate and develop spatial distribution mapping of the potable water quality parameters in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan. A total of 108 water samples collected across the entire study area were subjected to physio-chemical and biological analyses. Tested parameters included pH, turbidity, temperature, fluoride concentration levels, and bacterial counts (faecal coliforms). Inverse distance weighting (IDW) interpolation in geographic information systems (GIS) was used for spatial analysis. Test results revealed that 48% of water samples had faecal coliforms count (per 100 mL) greater than World Health Organization (WHO) minimum limits, while 31% of samples had fluoride concentrations in excess of the WHO maximum guide values. Spatial distribution mapping was developed for faecal coliforms count and fluoride ion concentration using ArcGIS to highlight the high-risk settlements in the study area. Results showed that around 20% area under faecal coliforms and approximately 33% area based on fluoride concentrations fall under the need for treatment category. The pH and turbidity were found in compliance with WHO desirable limits. The sanitary inspection score significantly depicted that ineffective multi-barrier approaches consequently deteriorated the water quality at the consumer’s end. Findings from the present study shall be useful to policymakers for adopting necessary remedial measures before it severely affects public health.

scholarly journals Bacteriological and Physico-chemical Qualities of Halabja Drinking Water

2021 ◽  
pp. 3816-3826
Author(s):  
Othman Abdulrahman Mohammed
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Water Hardness ◽  
International Standards ◽  
World Health ◽  
Residual Chlorine ◽  
Waterborne Diseases ◽  
North East ◽  
Treated Drinking Water

Water is crucial for all known forms of life without providing any calories or organic nutrients, while many people, especially in developing countries, may not be able to access pure and safe drinking water. They could lose their lives or become sick because waterborne diseases could contaminate the water, and when the chemical and/or physical properties of the water are not within the national and international standards. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate water quality of the Halabja drinking water and Sirwan river. Halabja city is located to north of Iraq, north-east of the capital Baghdad. Every week of the year 2019, apart from official holidays, water samples were collected from each of river and several areas (4-10 sections) in Halabja for the bacteriological analysis, while chemical and physical water quality was monthly checked. The results showed no detectable waterborne pathogens in all drinking water samples. Additionally, values of pH, turbidity, total dissolved substances, and electrical conductivity of the purified water samples had ranges of 7.97–8.5, 0.02-0.8 NTU, 246–362 mg/L, and 383–566 µS/cm, respectively. The treated drinking water was free of Free Residual Chlorine (FRC) and nitrite. The amounts of chloride, sulfate, and nitrate varied during the year 2019, with ranges of 48.2- 73.8, 36-141.5, and 1-5 mg/L, respectively. The values of water hardness and Ca+2 and Mg+2 concentrations ranged 132- 344, 48–89.5, and 2.2-29.2 mg/L, respectively. Based on the results, values of all the above parameters were within the Iraqi and the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water standards, although the value of water hardness and the concentration of Ca+2 were near the upper limits of the standards, which might cause harm to the human body.

scholarly journals Effects of human activities on water quality assessment of Ala River in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-44
Author(s):  
Samuel Dare Fagbayide ◽  
Francis Olawale Abulude
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
World Health ◽  
Total Hardness ◽  
Domestic Water ◽  
Ondo State

The purpose of the study was to assess the water quality parameters of Ala River found in Akure, Ondo State, Southwest, Nigeria. The river is considered one of the most important irrigation and drinking water resources in Akure, Nigeria. Three locations were chosen spatially along the watercourse to reflect a consideration of all possible human activities that are capable of affecting the quality of the river water. The water samples were collected monthly for three consecutive months (February to April 2015) at the three sampling sites. The water samples collected were analyzed for physicochemical parameters which include pH, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, total hardness, phosphate,  temperature,  calcium, magnesium, chlorine, nitrate, iron and zinc using standard methods and their environmental effects on the river were investigated. There were variations in the quality of the sampled water when compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) standards for domestic and commercial water for the selected parameters. The traces of some hazardous physical and chemical impurities in the river were above the acceptable limits, and thereby pose a health risk to several rural communities who rely heavily on the river primarily as their source of domestic water. Therefore, the law should be enforced to discourage unnecessary waste dumping and discharging of another form of pollutants into surface water in Nigeria.

scholarly journals Gis-based Analysis of Water Quality Parameters of Groundwater with Proximity to Onsite Wastes Pits in Vom Community of Jos South, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
pp. 6-18
Author(s):  
R. E. Daffi ◽  
M. I. Alfa ◽  
E. S. Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Groundwater Quality ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Water Quality Assessment ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Water Quality Parameters ◽  
World Health ◽  
Chemical Parameters ◽  
Health Organization

Water quality assessment is an important part of environmental quality management especially in groundwater resources located close to sources of contamination. This study involved the assessment of groundwater quality for hand dug wells at locations with proximity to pit latrines in Vom community, Plateau State, Nigeria and the use of GIS for data analysis. Water samples were collected from six (6) locations in a small area to assume possible interaction between the water in the sampling wells, the maximum distance between any two points being 100 m and the minimum distance being 22 m. Eleven (11) physical, bacteriological and chemical parameters were analyzed for the water samples. The results were compared with World Health Organization and Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality standards. The chemical parameters in the samples tested met the WHO and NSDWQ limits with the exception of pH which was slightly acidic for four samples. The results also showed that E. coli was found in all the samples tested. This may be attributed to the proximity of the wells to pit latrines. The results obtained from laboratory analyses were inputted into a GIS database in ILWIS 3.8 where the variation maps were developed and also classified maps for each of the parameters based on whether they meet WHO standards or not. The classified maps were all overlaid in GIS to develop the groundwater quality information map where any point highlighted gives information on the parameters for that point. This makes the retrieval of water quality parameters easy and also the comparison of the parameters with respect to location. Treatment of the groundwater with chemicals like soda ash and chlorine are recommended before consumption. It is generally recommended that wells should not be located in close proximity to onsite underground wastes disposal pits. Government should provide sufficient potable water for the Vom Community.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Groundwater Quality in the Vicinity of Khurrianwala Industrial Zone, Pakistan

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Aleem ◽  
Cao Shun ◽  
Chao Li ◽  
Arslan Aslam ◽  
Wu Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Groundwater Quality ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
World Health ◽  
Total Hardness ◽  
Industrial Zone ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
National Environmental

The industrial augmentation and unguided anthropogenic activities contaminate water sources in most parts of the world especially in developing countries like Pakistan. High concentration of pollutants in groundwater affects human, soil, and crop health badly. The present study was conducted to investigate groundwater quality for drinking and irrigation purposes in an industrial zone of Pakistan. A GIS tool was used to investigate the spatial distribution of different physico-chemical parameters. In this study, the average results exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) and National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) were found for pH 7.84, total dissolved solids (TDS) 1492 mg/L, phosphate 0.51 mg/L, dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.92% saturation, F-coli 6.48 colonies/100 mL, Na+ 366 mg/L, HCO3− 771 mg/L, sulfate 251 mg/L, chlorides 427 mg/L, total hardness (as CaCO3) 292 mg/L, electrical conductivity (EC) 2408 μS/cm, iron (Fe) 0.48 mg/L, chrome (Cr) 0.50 mg/L, arsenic (As) 0.04 mg/L, total phosphorus (TP) 0.17 mg/L, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) 9.76 (in meq/L), residual sodium carbonate (RSC) 9.28 meq/L, % ion balance 14.4 (in meq/L), percentage sodium ion (% Na+) concentration 58.9 meq/L, and water quality index (WQI) 69.0. The trend of cations and anions were (in meq/L) Na > Mg > Ca > K and HCO3 > Cl > CO3 > SO4 respectively. Although the results of the present study showed poor conditions of the groundwater for drinking as WQI but and irrigation purposes as SAR, it needs to improve some more conditions for the provision of safe drinking water and irrigation water quality.

scholarly journals Morocco succeeds to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem: World Health Organization

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
SaurabhRamBihariLal Shrivastava ◽  
PrateekSaurabh Shrivastava ◽  
Jegadeesh Ramasamy
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Organization

scholarly journals Metalliferous content of drinking water and sediments in storage tanks of some schools in Erbil city, Iraq

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hawraz Sami Khalid ◽  
Hoshyar Saadi Ali ◽  
Dhary Almashhadany
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
World Health ◽  
Storage Tanks ◽  
Quality Indices ◽  
Toxic Heavy Metals ◽  
Water Quality Indices

The present study was conducted to evaluate the quality of drinking water in randomly selected schools in Erbil city, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. The water quality indices such as the Heavy metal Pollution Index (HPI) and Heavy metal Evaluation Index (HEI) were applied to characterize water quality. Eighteen schools were incorporated and sampled for their water storage tanks available to students. Water samples and sediment samples from tanks floor were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer for the determination of twenty-two metal elements. In drinking water samples, all detected metals did not exceed the permissible limits of the World Health Organization. The results of this study showed that the average values of HPI and HEI for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, and Zn were 54.442 and 0.221, respectively. According to data of the water quality indices, the schools drinking water quality are good and suitable for drinking in terms of heavy metals. However, sediments samples contained high concentrations of all elements including the toxic heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, and Pb). Re-suspension of sediments into water column after refilling storage tanks can pose a serious threat to students drinking water from such vessels. It is therefore recommended that proper storage tanks are provided to the schools accompanied by continuous sanitation and hygiene practice to mitigate the corrosion of tanks to avoid health risks of toxic metal

The Grammar of Leprosy: Temporal Politics and the Impossible Subject

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Laura A. Meek
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
World Health ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Temporal Framing ◽  
The Past ◽  
Research Article ◽  
The World ◽  
Potential Problems

This research article critically interrogates the implications and unintended consequences of the World Health Organization’s purported elimination of leprosy as a public health problem. I explore how leprosy has been portrayed (for nearly a century) as something from the past, recalcitrantly lingering on into the present, but surely about to be gone—a temporal framing I call the ‘grammar of leprosy’. I recount the experiences of Daniel, my interlocutor in Tanzania, whose existence became a problem for his doctors. This problem they ultimately resolved by fabricating negative test results in order to record what they already knew: leprosy had been eliminated. I also analyse how researchers working for Novartis (the supplier of leprosy’s cure) continue to push for an always imminent ‘elimination’, while field researchers repeatedly caution about the potential problems of this approach. Finally, I reveal how the grammar of leprosy operates through a complex set of temporal politics, pulling into its orbit and being enabled by multiple interwoven temporalities. I conclude that—due to this grammar, the impossible subjects it produces, and the temporal politics through which it operates—leprosy elimination campaigns may have dire consequences for the lives of people with leprosy today, impeding rather than enabling treatment.

Global Surge in Intimate Partner Violence after Mandatory Lockdown: Implications for Pakistan

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Butool Hisam ◽  
Mohammad Nadir Haider ◽  
Ghazala Saleem ◽  
Admin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Interpersonal Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
The United States ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Health Issue

We are observing with great concern the global spread of the COVID19 Pandemic. What is equally alarming is a less visible, albeit serious Public health issue; one that the United Nations has dubbed as the ‘Shadow Pandemic’ [1]. This is none other than the globally prevalent issue of violence against women, particularly Intimate Partner Violence. Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a serious, possibly preventable public health problem globally. Pakistan ranks among the countries with the highest IPV rates [2]. On 11th March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the highly infectious and lethal Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) to be a pandemic [3]. Drastic measures were enforced universally to curb the spread of COVID-19. Countries issued strict nationwide lockdowns to isolate the population and implemented social distancing. The economy was impacted tremendously, and many people experienced financial and emotional hardship during this mandatory confinement. While everyone was affected, one population was in a far worse situation than others. Survivors of IPV were trapped alongside their perpetrators and faced difficulty/less freedom to escape threatening situations compared to the past. It is not surprising given that historical periods of uncertainty such as war or economic crisis have resulted in increased interpersonal violence, including violence against women [4].  The Hubei province of China, the first region to undergo a lockdown, saw nearly a doubling of their rates of IPV with the start of COVID19 Pandemic.  Similarly, tragic stories gained nationwide coverage in the United States. IPV may also have risen in Pakistan, even if it is not being covered as extensively. During pandemics, fear causes us to minimize our personal needs and make sacrifices we would not normally make. This could be a reasonable approach for most but should not be for survivors of IPV. IPV survivors live in constant fear for themselves and their children; they are now devoid of their only means of mitigation; avoidance. Local woman’s support groups in Pakistan should act and spread awareness about this grim reality hiding underneath the Pandemic. Resources/funding should be made available for survivors to be able to reach out for support without having to leave the watchful eyes of their perpetrators. Public health officials ought to investigate and document the rise in IPV to help identify the leading causes of the increase. These steps will assist in developing crisis-specific guidelines to provide adequate resources for the future. Continuous....

scholarly journals Mining and Metal Pollution: Assessment of Water Quality in the Tarkwa Mining Area

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-31
Author(s):  
A. Ewusi ◽  
B. Y. Apeani ◽  
I. Ahenkorah ◽  
R. S. Nartey
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Acid Mine Drainage ◽  
Metal Concentration ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Mine Drainage ◽  
World Health ◽  
Hydrochemical Modelling ◽  
Acid Mine ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Dug Well

The quality of water in mining communities is uncertain since metals associated with acid mine drainage are known to saturate these waters. Previous studies in Tarkwa, an area noted for gold and manganese extraction, have reported large concentrations of aluminium, arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, manganese and mercury in water samples. This research aimed at investigating the chemistry of groundwater with special focus on the contamination status of trace elements. It also compared levels of metal concentration with those that were determined in previous research works, to identify changes that might have occurred. Thirty-eight water samples from boreholes, hand-dug wells and streams, within the Tarkwa area were obtained and analysed. Results show that 90 % of water in the area is acidic and Eh was determined to be positive, depicting oxidizing conditions. Mean groundwater temperature was 28.9 ºC. Thirty-two samples had either temperature or pH values falling outside the range recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Thirty samples had at least one metal concentration exceeding the WHO guideline values. Among the list of elements that exceeded the guideline, arsenic, manganese, nitrate, nitrite and iron were the most predominant. The dominant ions in the samples were sodium and bicarbonate. High concentrations of Fe and SO42- in some parts of the study area point to the influence of acid mine drainage (AMD). Comparisons of results of metal concentrations with findings from previous research in the area showed a reduction in concentration. Hydrochemical modelling with PhreeqC attributed this reduction to sorption processes. Comparison of levels of metal concentration in the different water supply facilities (borehole, hand-dug well and stream) showed no significant variations. Keywords: Water Quality, Drinking Water, Hydrochemical Modelling, Heavy Metals

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