Lack of Safe Drinking Water for Lake Chapala Basin Communities in Mexico Inhibits Progress toward Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 6.

Charlotte D Smith,Hannah Peters,Susana Herrera Lima,Kaitlyn Jackson

doi:10.3390/ijerph17228328

Abstract

Background: Access to safe, affordable and accessible drinking water is a human right and foundational to the third and sixth World Health Organization’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Unsafe drinking water is a risk factor for chronic and enteric diseases. Both chronic kidney disease (CKD) and diarrheal disease are highly prevalent in the Lake Chapala basin, Jalisco, Mexico, suggesting disparities in factors leading to successful achievement of these two SDGs. Methods: This study aimed to assess progress towards SDG three and six in the Lake Chapala basin. Qualitative, quantitative, and geospatial data were collected between May and August of 2019 from three towns within the municipalities of Poncitlán and Chapala. Results: Ninety-nine households participated in this study. Water sampling analyses determined 81.18% of samples from water jugs (garrafones) and 70.05% of samples from tap water were contaminated with total coliform bacteria, often including E. coli. Additionally, 32% of garrafón samples and 61.9% of tap water samples had detectable levels of arsenic. Approximately 97.94% of respondents stated that they believe clean water is a human right, but 78.57% feel the Mexican government does not do enough to make this a reality. Conclusions: This mixed methods approach highlights water quality as a serious issue in communities around Lake Chapala, and demonstrates inadequate drinking water as a key hazard, potentially perpetuating the high disease burden of both CKD and enteric disease in the region.

Highlights

Approximately three out of 10 people lack access to safely managed drinking water services and three billion lack access to basic sanitation services
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 and SDG 6, including the specified targets and indicator metrics which this study focused on to address the intersectionality between WASH and public health
There appear to be differences between the number of E. coli positive samples between each town, we suspect that these differences are a function of the overall number of samples being positive for E. coli compared to total coliform bacteria

Summary

Introduction

Approximately three out of 10 people lack access to safely managed drinking water services and three billion lack access to basic sanitation services. Exposure to unsafe drinking water is one of the leading causes of water-borne enteric diseases [3]. Over the past decades both low- and middle-income countries have experienced an increase in the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) [4] Both communicable and non-communicable diseases can develop through repeated exposure to toxic or pathogenic agents in drinking water, highlighting that access to WASH and population health are deeply intertwined [5]. Unsafe drinking water is a risk factor for chronic and enteric diseases Both chronic kidney disease (CKD) and diarrheal disease are highly prevalent in the Lake Chapala basin, Jalisco, Mexico, suggesting disparities in factors leading to successful achievement of these two SDGs. Methods: This study aimed to assess progress towards SDG three and six in the Lake Chapala basin. Water sampling analyses determined 81.18% of samples from water jugs (garrafones) and

Objectives

Results

Discussion

Conclusion