When Are Mobile Phones Useful for Water Quality Data Collection? An Analysis of Data Flows and ICT Applications among Regulated Monitoring Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Emily Kumpel,Rachel Peletz,Alicea Cock-Esteb,Annette Fay,Mateyo Bonham,Ranjiv Khush

doi:10.3390/ijerph120910846

Abstract

Water quality monitoring is important for identifying public health risks and ensuring water safety. However, even when water sources are tested, many institutions struggle to access data for immediate action or long-term decision-making. We analyzed water testing structures among 26 regulated water suppliers and public health surveillance agencies across six African countries and identified four water quality data management typologies. Within each typology, we then analyzed the potential for information and communication technology (ICT) tools to facilitate water quality information flows. A consistent feature of all four typologies was that testing activities occurred in laboratories or offices, not at water sources; therefore, mobile phone-based data management may be most beneficial for institutions that collect data from multiple remote laboratories. We implemented a mobile phone application to facilitate water quality data collection within the national public health agency in Senegal, Service National de l’Hygiène. Our results indicate that using the phones to transmit more than just water quality data will likely improve the effectiveness and sustainability of this type of intervention. We conclude that an assessment of program structure, particularly its data flows, provides a sound starting point for understanding the extent to which ICTs might strengthen water quality monitoring efforts.

Highlights

Contaminated drinking water is a primary exposure route for fecal pathogens and chemical toxins, which are important global public health concerns [1]
As depicted in the Data Flow Diagrams (DFD), we observed that regulated water quality monitoring programs follow a general framework
Through a study of water quality monitoring programs among 26 water suppliers and public health agencies across six African countries, we identified four main program structures or typologies, which we have termed A through D

Summary

Introduction

Contaminated drinking water is a primary exposure route for fecal pathogens and chemical toxins, which are important global public health concerns [1]. Water quality monitoring is essential for evaluating contamination status, guiding protection and treatment strategies, and verifying management efforts. National regulations specify institutional roles and responsibilities for drinking water quality monitoring [2,3]. Water quality monitoring includes operational and surveillance monitoring: operational monitoring is performed by water utilities to ensure the safety of their supplies while surveillance (or compliance) monitoring is performed by independent agencies that are usually responsible for public health (e.g., district or regional health offices, ministries of health) [1,4,5]. The effective use of monitoring data (e.g., water test results, water point maps, survey results), requires efficient information flows that reach all relevant actors, from the utility employees who implement protection and treatment activities to the administrators who establish management priorities and allocate resources.

Methods

Results

Conclusion