Abstract
Abstract This study was undertaken to analyse processed bottled water for drinking water quality. Altogether 50 water samples of different brands were randomly collected from public places in Kathmandu valley. The samples were analysed for physical (turbidity, pH and electrical conductivity), chemical (iron, manganese, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, ammonia, fluoride, chloride, sulphate, copper, total hardness, calcium, mercury and aluminum) and microbiological (fecal coliform and total coliform) parameters. The results revealed that >300 CFU/100 mL of Escherichia coli (E. coli) (fecal coliform) and total coliform (TC) bacteria were counted in 76 and 92% samples, respectively. The bacterial population was beyond the limit of the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC) (0 CFU/100 mL of water). Chemical parameters analysed for fluoride (0.5–1.5 mg/L) and ammonia (1.5 mg/L) exceeded the DFTQC values. The range of fluoride estimated was 0.001–2.37 mg/L and the maximum concentration of ammonia was 4.66 mg/L. Most of the processed water crossed the threshold standard of E. coli and TC bacteria and may pose a risk if used for drinking purposes. Therefore, to minimize the public health risk of contaminated water, scientific methods and standards of purification should be followed during the process, production, storage, and delivery of processed water.
Highlights
IntroductionWater is one of the basic requirements of human daily consumption, yet much of the world’s population struggles to find consistent access to safe drinking water as
The average values of bacterial populations varied and counted at 54.4 CFU/100 mL for E. coli and 204.4 CFU/ 100 mL for total coliform (TC) (Figure 3). These results reveal that most of the processed water samples were above the recommendations of Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC) (0 CFU/100 mL)
Processed water samples in the Kathmandu and Lalitpur districts of Kathmandu valley were characterized for drinking water quality
Summary
Water is one of the basic requirements of human daily consumption, yet much of the world’s population struggles to find consistent access to safe drinking water as. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development | 10.1 | 2020 water supply systems across the country do not have access to basic water treatment facilities This has resulted in frequent reports of faecal contamination in drinking water and outbreaks of waterborne diseases. Waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, typhoid, dysentery, and cholera are still major public health threats to the people of Nepal because of contaminated water, poor sanitation, and unhygienic living conditions. About 3,500 children in Nepal (Aryal et al ), and two million children throughout the world die due to waterborne diseases (UNICEF )
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