scholarly journals Soul of the Jukskei River: The Extent of Bacterial Contamination in the Jukskei River in Gauteng Province, South Africa

Author(s):  
Kousar Banu Hoorzook ◽  
Anton Pieterse ◽  
Lee Heine ◽  
Tobias George Barnard ◽  
Nickey Janse van Rensburg

River water quality is an important health issue as the water is utilised for drinking, domestic and agricultural use in developing countries. This study aimed to investigate the effect water from a major city has on the water quality of the Jukskei River that daylights in Johannesburg, South Africa. The river water samples were analysed for physio-chemical properties, microbiology, antibiotic resistance of bacterial isolates, genetic markers, and potentially toxic metals. Data analysis revealed increased electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, and turbidity since 2010. Total Coliform and Escherichia coli detected were above the South African water quality guidelines for domestic, recreational, and irrigation purposes. Additionally, sodium, zinc, nickel, lithium, and lead exceeded the guidelines in domestic, recreational, and irrigation water. Pathogenic strains of E. coli (aEPEC, EHEC, EIEC, and EAEC) were isolated from the water. Various other potentially pathogenic organisms that have been implicated as causes of gastro-intestinal, and a wide range of other diseases, were also detected and demonstrated multiple levels of resistance to antibiotics tested. The results show that the river water is a potential health threat to downstream users. These results will feed into the environmental management action plan for Water for the Future (NGO group).

1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-288
Author(s):  
Susan Taljaard ◽  
Willem A. M. Botes

In South Africa the ultimate goal in water quality management is to keep the water resources suitable for all “beneficial uses”. Beneficial uses provides a basis for the derivation of water quality guidelines, which, for South Africa, are defined in Water quality guidelines for the South African coastal zone (DWAF, 1991). The CSIR has developed a practical approach to marine water quality management, taking into account international trends and local experience, which can be applied to any coastal development with potential influence on water quality. The management plan is divided into three logical components, i.e. • site-specific statutory requirements and environmental objectives; • system design with specific reference to influences on water quality; and • monitoring programmes. Within this management approach water quality issues are addressed in a holistic manner, through focused procedures and clear identification of information requirements. This paper describes the procedures and information requirements within each component of the water quality management plan, with specific reference to marine disposal systems. Ideally, the management plan should be implemented from the feasibility and conceptual design phase of a development and the timing of the different procedures within the development process are therefore also highlighted. However, the logical lay-out of procedures allows for easy initiation (even to existing disposal system) at any stage of development.


2003 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 607-626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinod Tare ◽  
Purnendu Bose ◽  
Santosh K. Gupta

Abstract In India, the implementation of river-cleaning operations through River Action Plans (RAPs) conventionally focuses on a reduction in concentrated or point sources of organic loading to the river, and is assessed by monitoring the consequent improvement in river water quality. However, in the case of Indian rivers or river stretches having substantial background pollution due to distributed or non-point loading of organic matter and nutrients, elimination of point sources of pollution may not substantially impact or improve river water quality. It is suggested that implementation of River Action Plans in India under such circumstances must be conducted using a multi-tier approach. The initial emphasis in such cases should be on the selection of priority stretches of the river, where pollution control will have maximum beneficial impact on the citizens, and interception and diversion of all concentrated or point loads of pollution from these stretches. In addition, measures to minimize non-point pollution and visible pollution to the river and initiation of riverfront restoration and development projects are necessary in these priority stretches. Such measures would result in aesthetic improvements, increase the beneficial uses of the river and its surroundings, and generate favorable public perception towards RAPs, though they may not be sufficient to enhance the river water quality to the desired levels. However, as a result of the above actions, public support for funding more expensive and longer-term river cleaning schemes, resulting in comprehensive reduction in organic and nutrient loading to the river from point and non-point sources all along its length, may be generated. The need for this alternative methodology for implementation and assessment of RAPs in India has been illustrated by taking the example of the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) and assessment of its implementation near the city of Kanpur in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, as a test case.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
Peter Tshepiso Ndhlovu ◽  
Abiodun Olusola Omotayo ◽  
Wilfred Otang-Mbeng ◽  
Adeyemi Oladapo Aremu

Globally, the potential of medicinal plants is increasingly being recognized due to their relative availability, particularly in rural areas. This review explored the ethnobotanical and economic values of six selected medicinal plants widely used to treat and manage childhood diseases in South Africa. Acalypha glabrata, Aloe maculata, Datura stramonium, Gomphocarpus fruticosus, Rhoicissus tridentata and Vachellia karroo were selected based on their high relative frequency of citations for treating a wide range of diseases. Information was obtained from various scientific databases and ethnobotanical books. In addition to being popular for treating childhood diseases, the selected medicinal plants possess diverse applications in traditional medicine for other age groups, highlighting their general therapeutic values. This translates to extensive harvesting, trading and consumption of these plants in order to meet demands on local levels. Currently, empirical data on the economic value of the selected plants remain poorly reported. Even though South Africa has many laws to conserve and promote indigenous knowledge and medicinal plants, their commercialization remains low. Particularly the cultivation of the selected plants needs to be promoted under a participatory management action plan to stimulate the economy of the disadvantaged. A collaborative research framework for the inclusive transformation of indigenous medicinal plants is recommended to reveal their concealed beneficial properties.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Gorby Corneles Tarima ◽  
Jemmy Abidjulu ◽  
Harry S.J. Koleangan

ANALISIS KUALITAS AIR SUNGAI SARIO KECAMATAN SARIO MANADO  SULAWESI UTARAABSTRAK Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk menganalisis kualitas air sungai Sario berdasarkan sifat fisika dan kimia sesuai dengan PP No 82 Tahun 2001. Penelitian dilakukan di laboratorium Baristand Industri Manado pada bulan November 2015, dengan 4 sampel air yang diambil pada 4 titik dari hulu sampai hilir sungai Sario Kota Manado menggunakan 7 parameter yaitu kekeruhan, pH, nitat, nitrit, BOD, COD dan DO. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa kualitas air sungai Sario yang sesuai dengan ambang baku mutu air berdasarkan PP No. 82 Tahun 2001 hanyalah pada bagian hulu sampai tengah Sungai sebelum memasuki wilayah Kota Manado, sedangkan pada sekitaran hilir sungai Sario telah tercemar yang berhubungan dengan aktivitas masyarakat dengan diindikasikan berdasarkan konsentrasi BOD, COD dan DO yang buruk dan tidak sesuai dengan ambang baku mutu air berdasarkan PP No. 82/2001. Kata kunci : Kualitas Air, Sungai Sario   ANALYSIS OF RIVER WATER QUALITY SARIO DISTRICT MANADO  NORTH SULAWESI ABSTRACT This study was conducted to analyze the Sario river water quality based on physical and chemical properties in accordance with PP No. 82 of 2001. The study was conducted in laboratory Baristand Industry Manado in November 2015, with four water samples taken at 4 points from upstream to downstream Sario City Manado using 7 parameters: turbidity, pH, nitat, nitrite, BOD, COD and DO.  The results of this study indicate that the water quality in accordance with the Sario river water quality standard threshold under PP No. 82 of 2001 only on the upstream side to the middle of the river before entering the city of Manado, whereas the downstream Area Sario river has been polluted related community activities to be indicated by the concentration of BOD, COD and DO poor and not in accordance with the water quality standard threshold based PP No. 82 of 2001. Keywords: Water Quality, River Sario


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Dipitseng Manamela ◽  
Omotayo Awofolu

This article investigates the impact of anthropogenic activities on an important surface water from physico-chemical, chemical and microbial perspectives. The surface water, referred to as Blesbokspruit is in the West Rand District of South Africa. Potential impactors include wastewater treatment plant, mines, farmlands and informal settlements. Water samples were collected from nine purposively selected sampling points and analysed in 2014. The mean values of analysed variables across sampling sites and periods ranged from pH: 7.4-8.4; EC: 93.0 - 146.6 mS/m; TSS: 11.3 – 39.0 mg/L; TDS: 590.3 - 1020.3 mg/L; COD: 15.6- 34.8 mg/L. Those for anions varied from NO3-: 0.2- 2.1 (mg/L) N; PO43- : 0.4-0.9 mg/L and SO42-: 118.6 - 379.5 mg/L. The metallic variables ranged from As: 0.01-0.06 mg/L; Cd: 0.02-0.06 mg/L; Fe: 0.04-0.73 mg/L; Cu: 0.02 – 0.05 mg/L and Zn: 0.05 – 0.15 mg/L. The Faecal coliform varied from 15.9-16878.5 cfu/100 ml; Total coliform: 92.9-430294 cfu/100 ml and HPC from 4322.5-39776 cfu/1ml. Detection of toxic metals and pathogenic organisms above target safety limits indicate unsuitability of the water for domestic use with impact on the health of aquatic ecosystem. The study generally revealed the impact of anthropogenic activities on the surface water quality.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (23) ◽  
pp. 5599
Author(s):  
Rinae Makhadi ◽  
Saheed A. Oke ◽  
Olusola O. Ololade

This study assessed the groundwater quality around two municipal solid waste landfill sites, in the city of Bloemfontein, Free State Province, South Africa. The two landfill sites are located in two contrasting geological terrains, with both lacking some basic facilities found in a well-designed landfill. A total of eight groundwater samples were collected from pollution monitoring boreholes near the two landfill sites, with five samples representing the northern landfill site and three samples representing the southern landfill site. The samples were collected in the autumn and winter seasons to assess any possible seasonal variations. They were analysed for physicochemical (pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolve solids (TDS), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC)) and microbiological parameters (Escherichia coli, total coliform). The results of the analysis showed that the waters from both landfills were generally dominated by Ca, Mg, SO4, and HCO3 ions. Some of the major anions and cations in the water samples were above the South African National Standard (SANS241:2015) and World Health Organisation (WHO) permissible limits for drinking water. Majority of the boreholes had total dissolved solids and electrical conductivity values exceeding the SANS 241:2015 and WHO permissible limits. Piper trilinear plots for the two landfill sites showed that Ca(Mg)HCO3 water type predominates, but Ca(Mg)SO4 and Ca(Mg)Cl were also found. These water types were further confirmed with expanded Durov diagrams, indicating that that the boreholes represented a water type that is seldom found which is undergoing ion exchange, typical of sulphate contamination. From the SAR diagrams, boreholes in the northern landfill site had a high salinity hazard with only one borehole in the southern landfill site having a high salinity hazard. The geology was found to play a significant role in the distribution of contaminants into the groundwater systems in the study area. The study concluded that the northern landfill site had a poorer water quality in comparison to the southern landfill site based on the analysed physicochemical parameters. However, the southern landfill site showed significant microbial contamination, due to the elevated amount of E. coli and total coliform concentrations. The high permeability of the weathered dolerites in the northern landfill site might have enabled the percolation of contaminants into the groundwater resulting in the poorer water quality.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-30
Author(s):  
Pradeep Kumar Shah ◽  
Shashi Bhushan Chaturwedi

 Water pollution, one of the serious environmental issues of the world, results from contaminants being introduced into the natural environment. This study was conducted in the Microbiology laboratory, DAV College, Dhobighat, Lalitpur, Nepal from January to May 2018 with aims to assess the physicochemical and microbiological status of river water of Kathmandu valley. All together 60 water samples were collected, 20 water samples each from different places of Bagmati river, Bishnumati river and river junction (Teku Dovan). The physicochemical parameters including pH, ammonia and iron, hardness and alkalinity were analyzed by standard methods and the microbiological parameters such as total mesophilic count and total coliform count were analyzed by pour plate technique. Among all 60 water samples tested, the temperature (12.8°C), BOD value (3.11 mg/l), iron value (0.87 mg/l) and turbidity (102.2NTU) were found to be highest in Bagmati river water samples whereas the value of TSS (755.2 mg/l), TDS (748.4 mg/l), copper (0.01 mg/l) and COD (911.5 PPM) were found to be highest in water of Bishnumati river. The heavy meals Manganese (0.29 mg/l) and Nickel (0.01 mg/l) were detected only in Bishnumati river water samples. The river junction water samples showed the exceeded value of DO (9.56 mg/l) and chloride (0.12 mg/l). All the 60 samples showed total mesophilic counts more than 300 cfu/ml and the average number of total mesophilic counts were found to be 5.21×106 cfu/ml. The average number of total coliform counts were found to be 2.1×105 cfu/ml in the water samples of Bagmati river, Bishnumati river and river junction. Most of the tested parameter of the samples had more than the standard value of water quality indicating the deterioration of river water quality and thus may affect the aquatic as well as human and animal lives.


Bothalia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Purvance Shikwambana ◽  
Jonathan C. Taylor ◽  
Danny Govender ◽  
Judith Botha

Background: Although the Kruger National Park (KNP) is a protected area, it is not exempted from anthropogenically induced impacts, which often compromise river water flow and quality. Measures of river water quality in South Africa have conventionally been based on water chemistry as well as different ecological indicator groups such as fish and macroinvertebrates. Diatoms have been shown to be useful indicators of changes in water quality resulting from pollution and land-use impacts.Objectives: To determine the applicability of diatoms for hind-casting water quality in the KNP and to compare recent diatom community composition with those from the 1980s.Methods: In this study, pH and electrical conductivity (EC) were used to evaluate temporal changes in water quality of three rivers within the KNP. Additionally, we made use of historic diatom samples from three of the five perennial rivers to evaluate if diatom communities reflected changes in water conditions between 1983 and 2015.Results: Diatom community structure was significantly different between 1983 and 2015. Diatom-based index scores (SPI) indicated an improvement in water quality for the Letaba and Olifants rivers.Conclusion: Diatoms were shown to be useful indicators of current water quality and are also useful for determining temporal changes.


1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 293-299
Author(s):  
H. M. MacKay ◽  
D. J. Roux ◽  
P. J. Ashton ◽  
H. R. van Vliet ◽  
S. Jooste

This paper describes the progress made by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry in the development of documented water quality guidelines for aquatic ecosystems in South Africa, which will be able to take into account local and site-specific conditions. Proposed guidelines for toxic substances, nutrients and physico-chemical variables are described.


Author(s):  
Putu Desy Darmasusantini ◽  
I Nyoman Merit ◽  
I G.B Sila Dharma

Availability of clean water for drinking water increasingly scarce, then efforts to utilize alternative flow of river water as drinking water and raw water industry one of them is Saba River. Purpose of research is to determine the characteristic of pollution source which will be impactto the changing of water quality in physical, chemical, and biological in up, middle and down stream area of Saba River, water quality and pollution index of Saba River. Determination of samples by using purposive sampling method. Sampels were taken at six points with repetitions three times at different times. Sampels taken at two points upstream, two points middle and two points downstream. Samples were analyzed in situ and ex situ. The results showed that the activities that affect water quality physical, chemical, and biological in up, middle and down stream area of Saba River is agricultural activities, livestock, restorant, blacksmith, home stay, residential, workshops, market, laundry and industrial activities. The upstream region until middle region (T1) no parameter exceeded the quality standard, parameters that exceed the quality standard in the middle region (T2) is TSS, BOD, fosfat and fecal coliform, in the downstream which exceeded the parameters in the downstream region (H1) is BOD, fosfat, fecal coliform dan total coliform and in the downstream region (H2) is DO, BOD, COD, fosfat, fecal coliform dan total coliform. Saba River quality status based on the method pollution index in the upstream region (U1) until middle region (T1) showed good condition, middle region (T2) until downstream pollutants classified as mild.


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