WATER DISINFECTION TECHNIQUES: A REVIEW

Abstract

Water pollution, inadequate water supply and poor waste treatment facilities have greatly contributed todiarrheal and other water borne disease conditions. Regular presence of Escherichia coli and other coliformsare probable indicators of water contamination. State of the art water disinfection methods of boiling andchlorination success has been limited due to inadequate germicidal effect and health risks. Frequent outbreaksof water borne illness in the rural areas of developing nations continue to exit despite the administration ofboiling, chlorination and use of herbs as water disinfection techniques among the residents. Solar waterdisinfection has emerged as alternative to back-up the existing water techniques. However, the acceptability andadoption potential has not been fully realized. Some of the solar water disinfection technologies have exhibiteddraw-backs of: Limited volume, post-disinfection regrowth, incomplete disinfection and pulsating flow rates. Inaddition, the experimented solar water disinfection technologies have mainly focused on indicators organismsuch as Escherichia coli and coliforms. The effect of solar water disinfection on diverse water borne pathogenshas not been fully established. Water disinfection techniques are reviewed here in with focus on sustainabledevelopment goal 6 (SDG).