Abstract
Riverbank filtration (RBF) systems were installed in four rural villages along a 64 km stretch of the upper Krishna River in southern India; with each one designed to supply approximately 2500 people. Site selection criteria included hydrogeological suitability, land availability and access, proximity to villages and their population sizes, and electric power supply. Water samples were collected from the river and the RBF wells over more than one year (November 2015 to December 2017) and were analyzed for Escherichia coli bacteria, major ions, and a range of other physicochemical and chemical parameters. The shallow groundwater at the study sites was also sampled, but less frequently. The hydrogeology of the four RBF systems was described in terms of bore-log data, mixing of river and groundwater, pumping test data, and vertical water column profiling. E. coli removal percentages of >99.9% were observed immediately before and during the monsoon, when E. coli concentrations in the river were the highest. The results provide evidence that RBF installations are challenging but possible under the climate and hydrogeologic conditions prevailing in this part of southern India. Specifically, when installing RBF wells in the study, area one needs to balance the well depth and set-back distance from the river against the limited extent of alluvial deposits. The viability of RBF systems as a domestic water source is also influenced by other factors that are not limited to southern India, including surface water and groundwater salinity, agricultural practices surrounding RBF wells, and the reliability of the power grid.
Highlights
Access to safe drinking water is essential to human health, but affordable and sustainable solutions remain out of the reach of many communities, in rural areas of developing countries, such as India
The results of this study provide evidence that Riverbank filtration (RBF) installations are challenging but possible under the climate and hydrogeologic conditions prevailing in this part of southern India, where there is generally a lack of the typically thick, highly conductive alluvial sediments that are more common along the major rivers of northern India, such as the Ganga or Yamuna [14]
RBF well fields were installed at four sites along the upper Krishna River watershed and water quality and quantity studies were performed to characterize the RBF systems operation
Summary
Access to safe drinking water is essential to human health, but affordable and sustainable solutions remain out of the reach of many communities, in rural areas of developing countries, such as India. Water 2019, 11, 12 and groundwater resources, the people of India increasingly face water shortages and water borne disease outbreaks [3]. Rural villages typically receive a mixture of public and/or private water supplies, mainly from groundwater wells, piped, or, if available, truck-delivered. For those living in close proximity to a surface water body, river and/or lake water may provide a significant proportion of water for domestic uses, including for drinking. River water supplies are prone to contamination with industrial wastewater and human-derived effluent, resulting in both chemical and microbiological contamination
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