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 ◽  
...  

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.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mastano Nambiro Woleson Dzimbiri ◽  
Jonathan Levy ◽  
Emmanuel Chilanga ◽  
Chifundo Mtenga ◽  
Oluwaseun Olubodun

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.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 117862211773344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghassan Adham AL-Dulaimi ◽  
Mohammad Khairi Younes

Safe drinking water is crucial for the well-being of current and future generations. This study aims to evaluate the quality of potable water in Baghdad city. Furthermore, this study compares the quality of tap and bottled water. Baghdad city was divided into 4 districts based on the water source, and 40 water samples were collected from each district. Moreover, the most popular bottled water brands were sampled and compared with the tap water samples. The quality of the analyzed potable water samples varied based on the water source. The total dissolved solid (TDS) levels exceed the palatable (>600 ppm) water levels in some districts. In addition, the concentration of sulfate was relatively high in both tap and bottled water and ranged from 200 to 330 ppm. The bottled water quality was within the acceptable limits set by the World Health Organization, but the TDS levels were relatively high. The hardness, Cl−, Pb2+, and bacteria contents in both tap and bottled water were within the standard limits. Finally, it is important to conduct radiological analyses in the future to investigate the effect of wars on Iraqi water resources.


1988 ◽  
Vol 20 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 425-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. T. El-Zanfaly ◽  
A. M. Shabaan

A total of 111 water samples were drawn from 15 wells. These samples were subjected to bacteriological examinations to determine the suitability of the monitored wells as source for drinking water. Significant levels of bacterial pollution indicators were detected in the underground water samples during the period of study. Total bacterial counts ranged between 10-104CFU/ml. Faecal streptococci was the most common and detected in 9 6% of water samples. Lower percentages of samples (92, 55 and 45%) were contaminated with total coliforms, faecal coliforms and total clostridia, respectively. Faecal coliforms: faecal streptococci was less than 0.7 in 86% of the examined samples. Anaerobic bacteria were detected in the examined well water samples. Only 101 water samples were tested for anaerobic spore-formers and all showed positive results. Most examined wells do not meet the water quality standards for drinking water. Accordingly, the necessity of controllin bacterial pollution in ground-water through disinfection was clearly confirmed. Testing the underground water for more than one indicator represents an important approach for water quality assurance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Durai Ganesh ◽  
G. Senthilkumar ◽  
P. Eswaran ◽  
M. Balakrishnan ◽  
S. N. Bramha ◽  
...  

AbstractUranium concentration in the ground water samples from the district of Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, was measured using an LED fluorimeter. All the samples were qualified as potable water from the radiological perspective. Though some samples showed mild chemical toxicity, they are still safe for ingestion. Different risk coefficients were calculated, and they were compared with recommended safety limits specified by various agencies. Software tools such as QGIS 15, GraphPad Prism 8 and Surfer 15 were employed for developing maps and plots.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hawraz Sami Khalid ◽  
Hoshyar Saadi Ali ◽  
Dhary Almashhadany

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


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-31
Author(s):  
A. Ewusi ◽  
B. Y. Apeani ◽  
I. Ahenkorah ◽  
R. S. Nartey

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


2000 ◽  
Vol 31 (10) ◽  
pp. 563-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.S. Taylor ◽  
S.K. Hong

2007 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 523-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Kay ◽  
A. P. Wyn-Jones ◽  
C. M. Stapleton ◽  
L. Fewtrell ◽  
M. D. Wyer ◽  
...  

Some 1% of the UK population derives their potable water from 140,000 private water supplies (PWSs) regulated by Local Authorities. The overwhelming majority of these are very small domestic supplies serving a single property or a small number of properties. Treatment for such supplies is rudimentary or non-existent and their microbiological quality has been shown to be poor in every published study to date. Private water supplies serving commercial enterprises such as hotels, restaurants, food production premises and factories are more frequently treated and subject to closer regulation in the United Kingdom. As a result, it has been assumed that these larger commercial supplies are less likely to experience elevated faecal indicator and pathogen concentrations at the consumer tap which have been observed at small domestic supplies. This paper reports on intensive monitoring at seven commercial private water supplies (six of which were treated) spread throughout the UK serving hotels, holiday parks and food production enterprises. Daily sampling of ‘potable’ water, both at the consumer tap and using large volume filtration for Giardia and Cryptosporidium spp. was conducted over two six week periods in the spring and autumn of 2000. This allowed the effects of short term episodic peaks in faecal indicator and pathogen concentration to be quantified. All the supplies experienced intermittent pathogen presence and only one, a chlorinated deep borehole supply, fully complied with UK water quality regulations during both periods of sampling. Poor microbiological water quality typically followed periods of heavy rainfall. This suggests that the design and installation of such systems should be undertaken only after the likely range of raw water quality has been characterised, which requires a thorough understanding of the effects of flow and seasonality on raw water quality. There is no reason to suspect that the monitored sites are uncharacteristic of other commercial supplies and the results reinforce public health concerns related to domestic supplies. Furthermore, the pattern of contamination is highly episodic, commonly lasting only a few days. Thus, the relatively infrequent regulatory monitoring of such supplies would be unlikely to identify the poor water quality episodes and does not provide the data necessary for public health protection. Although some statistical relationship was found between faecal indicator organisms and the presence of pathogens, the use of FIOs in assessments of regulatory compliance may not always provide a reliable measure of public health risk, i.e. indicator absence does not preclude pathogen presence. The results of this study suggest that a risk assessment system similar to the WHO ‘Water Safety Planning’ approach might offer a more appropriate regulatory paradigm for private water supplies.


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