Access To Safe Drinking Water Research Articles

Estimation and Comparison of Deflouridation of Flouridated Ground Water Using Four Natural Adsorbents: Multani Mitti, Chalk Powder, Orange Peel Powder and Ragi Powder

This study highlights the global issue of fluoride contamination in drinking water, affecting approximately 260 million people in 30 countries, with India facing significant challenges as endemic fluorosis impacts around one million individuals across 17 states. The elevated fluoride levels are primarily attributed to fluoride-bearing minerals in local rocks and soils. The World Health Organization recommends maintaining fluoride concentrations near 1 mg/L to balance dental health benefits while preventing fluorosis. In response, various defluoridation methods—such as precipitation and adsorption—are implemented in India to adjust fluoride levels to optimal ranges. Given the essential role of water in physiological processes for humans, animals, and plants, understanding the variable quality of surface and groundwater is crucial. This variability is influenced by local geological factors and the presence of contaminants, necessitating effective management strategies for safe drinking water access.

Groundwaterscapes: A Global Classification and Mapping of Groundwater's Large‐Scale Socioeconomic, Ecological, and Earth System Functions

AbstractGroundwater is a dynamic component of the global water cycle with important social, economic, ecological, and Earth system functions. We present a new global classification and mapping of groundwater systems, which we call groundwaterscapes, that represent predominant configurations of large‐scale groundwater system functions. We identify and map 15 groundwaterscapes which offer a new lens to conceptualize, study, model, and manage groundwater. Groundwaterscapes are derived using a novel application of sequenced self‐organizing maps that capture patterns in groundwater system functions at the grid cell level (∼10 km), including groundwater‐dependent ecosystem type and density, storage capacity, irrigation, safe drinking water access, and national governance. All large aquifer systems of the world are characterized by multiple groundwaterscapes, highlighting the pitfalls of treating these groundwater bodies as lumped systems in global assessments. We evaluate the distribution of Global Groundwater Monitoring Network wells across groundwaterscapes and find that industrial agricultural regions are disproportionately monitored, while several groundwaterscapes have next to no monitoring wells. This disparity undermines the ability to understand system dynamics across the full range of settings that characterize groundwater systems globally. We argue that groundwaterscapes offer a conceptual and spatial tool to guide model development, hypothesis testing, and future data collection initiatives to better understand groundwater's embeddedness within social‐ecological systems at the global scale.

Deciphering geochemical fingerprints and health implications of groundwater fluoride contamination in mica mining regions using machine learning tactics.

The contribution of mica mining activities to fluoride (F-) contamination in groundwater has been chased in this study. For the purpose, groundwater samples (n = 40, replicated thrice) were collected during the post-monsoons (September-October) from a mica mining area in the Tisri block of Giridih district, Jharkhand. The study has employed a synergy of classical aquifer chemistry, statistical approaches, different indices, Self-Organising Maps (SOM), and Sobol sensitivity index (SSI) to unveil the underlying aquifer chemistry, identify the impacts of mining activities on groundwater quality and its associated health hazard. Fluoride levels varied from 0.34 to 2.8ppm, with 40% of samples exceeding the World Health Organization's permissible limit (1.5ppm). Physicochemical analysis revealed significant differences in electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH) and major ion concentrations (Na+, HCO3-, Ca2+) between fluoride-contaminated (FC) and fluoride-uncontaminated (FU) groups. Higher Na+ and HCO3- associated with F- contaminated samples, were indicative of silicate weathering and carbonate dissolution as primary geogenic sources for this ion. Health risk assessment (HRA) revealed hazard quotient (HQ) values exceeding unity, indicating non-carcinogenic risks, particularly for children in most samples from group FC. The mean Water Quality Index (WQI) of FC group (156.76 ± 7.30) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than group FU indicating of its unsuitability. SOM could accurately (80%) predict presence of fluoride in water samples based on other major ions. Sobol sensitivity analysis successfully identified fluoride concentration and body weight as most impactful parameters affecting human health. The integration of advanced modelling techniques and geospatial analysis as Inverse Distance Weightage (IDW) maps has provided a robust framework for ongoing groundwater quality monitoring in mining-affected regions and can help proactive intervention in risk-prone areas. Overall, this comprehensive study takes us a step ahead towards ensuring safe drinking water access for the global community.

Water Disinfection Via Zinc Oxide (ZnO) Nanowires Chemically Fabricated on A Modified Polyurethane Substrate

Nowadays, water contamination is a big issue due to concerns about health and water scarcity. Unfortunately, most water for human consumption is contaminated with various pathogenic microorganisms that cause water-related diseases. Most traditional chemical and physical disinfectants are energy- and time-intensive and prone to generating harmful disinfection by-products. The recent controversy about waterborne diseases and the safety of commonly used disinfection methods has renewed interest in other forms of disinfection. Low-cost, high-efficiency, and low-energy devices should be developed for potential water disinfection, enabling safe drinking water access. Recently, many researchers have been working on improving the scalability and economics of nanomaterial-based devices to overcome many of the limitations of using traditional anti-microbial agents. Herein, we develop a safe and efficient new nanomaterial decontamination device targeting bacteria in drinking water. Zinc Oxide (ZnO) Nanowires and polyurethane sponges were utilized as affordable and available materials that would lower the cost of the filtration device. The device is based on an electroporation method that applies a low voltage of ~6 V to inactivated bacteria in water. The performance of our device was optimized using different values of voltages, flow rates, microorganism concentrations, and various operation times. By relying on nanotechnology-enabled electroporation principles, this method aims to address the limitations of traditional techniques and offer a feasible solution, especially in areas grappling with contamination issues that lack water treatment infrastructure.

Mapping safe drinking water use in low- and middle-income countries.

Safe drinking water access is a human right, but data on safely managed drinking water services (SMDWS) is lacking for more than half of the global population. We estimate SMDWS use in 135 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) at subnational levels with a geospatial modeling approach, combining existing household survey data with available global geospatial datasets. We estimate that only one in three people used SMDWS in LMICs in 2020 and identified fecal contamination as the primary limiting factor affecting almost half of the population of LMICs. Our results are relevant for raising awareness about the challenges and limitations of current global monitoring approaches and demonstrating how globally available geospatial data can be leveraged to fill data gaps and identify priority areas in LMICs.

A risk assessment framework utilizing bivariate copula for contaminate monitoring in groundwater.

Regular groundwater quality monitoring in resource-constrained regions present formidable challenges in terms of funding, testing facilities and manpower; necessitating the development of easily implementable monitoring techniques. This study proposes a copula-based risk assessment model utilizing easily measurable indicators (e.g., turbidity, alkalinity, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), conductivity), to monitor the contaminates in groundwater which are otherwise difficult to measure (i.e., iron, nitrate, sulfate, fluoride, etc.). Preliminary correlation between the indicators and the target contaminates were identified using Pearson coefficient. Best representative univariate distributions for these pairs were selected using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), which were used in the formulation of the copula model. Validation against observed data showcased the model's high accuracy, supported by consistent Kendall Tau correlation coefficients. Through this model, conditional probabilities of the contaminants not exceeding the permissible limits set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) were calculated using indicator concentration. Notably, an inverse correlation between iron concentration and conductivity was noted, with the likelihood of iron exceeding BIS limits decreasing from 90 to 50% as conductivity rose from 500 to 2000 micromhos/cm. TDS emerged as a pivotal indicator for nitrate and sulfate concentrations, with the probability of sulfate surpassing 10mg/l decreasing from 75 to 25% as TDS increased from 250 to 750mg/l. Likewise, the probability of nitrate exceeding 1mg/l decreased from 90 to 60% with TDS levels reaching 1500mg/l. Furthermore, a 63% probability of fluoride concentrations remaining below 1mg/l was observed at turbidity levels of 0-10 NTU. These findings hold significant implications for policymakers and researchers since the model can provide crucial insights into the risks associated with the contaminates exceeding the permissible limit, facilitating the development of an efficient monitoring and management strategies to ensure safe drinking water access for vulnerable populations.

Contribution of water, sanitation, hygiene and basic education to reduce under-five mortality in Sudan

ABSTRACT Until 2015, the under-five mortality rate (U5MR) in Sudan was 65.9 per 1,000 livebirths, higher than the MDG4 target, and it has to be reduced by 5.04% per year from its 2020 level to achieve the SDG3.2 by 2030. This target cannot be achieved without improvements in access to safe drinking water (ASW), sanitation and hygiene (ISF) (WASH) and basic education. An estimated autoregressive distributed lag bounds test model confirms a long-run equilibrium relationship between U5MR, WASH, basic education, economic growth and health care. In the short run, U5MR decelerates itself with a coefficient of 0.56. Sanitation and basic education significantly reduce U5MR. Collectively, health care and economic growth affect U5MR adversely. In the long run, declines of U5MR are driven respectively by access to sanitation, hygiene and basic education (a factor of 1.79), economic growth (a factor of 0.21), and health care (a factor of 0.18). The study recommends promotion of access to safe drinking water with investments in sanitation and hygiene of 32 million $US annually between 2020 and 2030, in order to meet the SDG3.2 in Sudan. Skilled physicians and full vaccination of children can be more effective in reducing U5MR, dependent on progress in safe WASH.

Spatial Inequalities in Access to Safe Drinking Water in an Upper-Middle-Income Country: A Multi-Scale Analysis of Brazil

Access to drinking water is recognized as a human right, meaning that it is necessary to guarantee its universal and equitable access. Since analyzing only the average access rates to drinking water may obscure inequalities, studies have adapted socioeconomic inequalities indices to assess disparities. This research evaluated the Safe Drinking Water Access Index (SDWA) and inequalities access in all Brazilian municipalities using microdata from the 2010 Demographic Census. The inequalities were analyzed adapting indices derived from the Lorenz curve (Gini index, concentration coefficient and dissimilarity index). The results showed that the lowest SDWA rates and the highest inequality index values occurred in the north and northeast regions. The municipalities with significant inequality indexes values were rural with reduced gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. It was possible to punctuate municipalities that do not fit these rules but still need attention to safe water access guarantee. The amplitude of inequality index results reveals significant inequalities in the same regions or SDWA ranges. The inequalities in safe drinking water access were made more evident by the adapted Gini Index. This research contributes to the literature with an unprecedented analysis of Brazil and could be adapted to other countries and replicated to assess inequalities in sanitation access.

Spatial disparities in household expenditure on safe drinking water in Pakistan: An application of geographically weighted regression

Equitable access to safe drinking water is a global concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Improvement towards accessibility of safe drinking water would enhance economic well-being/human prosperity by reducing regional disparities. This study has two major objectives. First, it identifies the spatial patterns and the spatial relationship between contiguous districts concerning household expenditure on safe drinking water. Second, it examines the local varying spatial impact of various sociodemographic factors on expenditure on safe drinking water by applying geographically weighted regression. The study results revealed that spatial patterns of high-high and low-low clustered districts were located mainly in Baluchistan and Punjab provinces, respectively. In addition, the GWR results exhibited that household income, family size, and access to television facilities were significantly associated with household expenditure on safe drinking water. Moreover, the local GWR coefficients of these variables vary across districts of Pakistan which confirmed the existence of geographical disparities in terms of household expenditure on safe drinking water. Thus, policymakers and the government must prioritize the high-high clustered districts by focusing on the key determinants of expenditure on safe drinking water.

Household-level risk factors for water contamination and antimicrobial resistance in drinking water among households with children under 5 in rural San Marcos, Cajamarca, Peru

Household water contamination at point of use depends on human, animal and environmental factors embodying all aspects of a One Health approach. This study investigated the association between household factors, the presence of thermotolerant coliform, and the presence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in drinking water among 314 households with children under 5 in Cajamarca, Peru. This study analysed data from a baseline sampling of a randomized controlled trial, including household surveys covering household water management and factors such as household animals, as well as microbiological data from samples collected from drinking water. Data were analysed using generalized linear models. Drinking water samples collected from narrow-mouthed containers were less likely to be contaminated than samples collected from the faucet (OR = 0.55, p = 0.030) or wide mouthed containers. The presence of thermotolerant coliform was associated with owning farm birds, which increased the proportion of contamination from 42.2% to 59.1% (OR = 1.98, p = 0.017) and with animal waste observed in the kitchen area, which increased the prevalence of contamination from 51.4% to 65.6% (OR = 1.80, p = 0.024). Resistance to any antibiotic was higher among pig owners at 60%, relative to non-pig owners at 36.4% (OR = 1.97, p = 0.012) as well as households with free-roaming animals in the kitchen area at 59.6% compared to households without free-roaming animals at 39.7% (OR = 2.24, p = 0.035). Recent child antibiotic use increased the prevalence of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole resistance among E. coli isolates to 22.3% relative to 16.7% (OR = 3.00, p = 0.037). Overall, these findings suggest that water storage in a secure container to protect from in-home contamination is likely to be important in providing safe drinking water at point of use. In addition, transmission of thermotolerant coliform and AMR between domestic animals and human drinking water supplies is likely. Further research should explore transmission pathways and methods to support safe drinking water access in multi-species households.

A preliminary study on intraparticle diffusion of turbidity through nanomagnetic biocarbon composite (NBC)

The accessibility of safe drinking water is a fundamental element of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6). A novel nanomagnetic biocarbon composite (NBC) has been developed utilising coconut shells for purifying raw groundwater. One of the primary concerns associated with groundwater is turbidity, a condition resulting from the presence of clay, dirt, and silt particles. The presence of turbidity in untreated water has a significant effect on both the visual appeal and overall cleanliness of the water. For the purposes of comparison, commercialised activated carbon (CAC) was utilised in this study. According to the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, it was observed that the average pore diameter of NBC was smaller compared to commercially available activated carbon (CAC), despite having a higher BET surface (SBET) value of 916.189 m/g compared to CAC. Based on the results of the kinetic study, it was determined that intraparticle diffusion, specifically external film diffusion, exhibited the most suitable fit as the kinetic model for NBC and CAC. This conclusion was supported by the lowest root mean square error (RMSE) values obtained, which were 0.04 for NBC and 0.13 for CAC, surpassing the performance of alternative models. The diffusion coefficient (Di) values for NBC (7.40 x 10–15 cm2/s) and CAC (7.80 x 10–15 cm2/s) demonstrated the phenomenon of bulk diffusion from high to low concentration. Notably, the diffusion coefficient for NBC was found to be lower than that for CAC. Accordingly, it is suggested that average pore diameter played important roles in intraparticle diffusion of an absorbent.

An Analysis to Determine the Availability and Accessibility of Safe Drinking Water and Proper Sanitation Facilities in Government Degree Colleges of Bandipora District in Kashmir Division

Aims and Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the availability and accessibility of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities among undergraduate colleges of Bandipora district of Kashmir. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was done in the Hassan Shah Khuehami Memorial Government degree college of Bandipora area and Government degree college of Sumbal area of Bandipora district in Kashmir, India. The study covered 404 Muslim girl’s participants who were drawn from their graduate 2nd and 3rd years. The information was collected by circulating the pre-tested structured questionnaire containing demographic profile and availability, and accessibility of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities in the colleges. Results: Analysis based on age revealed that more than half of participants belonged up to 20 years of age. Less than three-fourths study in the 3rd year and the remaining students were in the 2nd year. A little more than 50% of girls were from nuclear families as high as 80% were from rural backgrounds. The economic status informed that the monthly household income ranged from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 30,000 and the majority of the parents had school education completed and accordingly employed on wage earnings. With regard to accessibility and availability of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities as high as 90% of the girls opined that they did not have girl-friendly washrooms and were overcrowded and unhygienic. More than three-fourths of the participants expressed that they do not have access to disposal facilities for used sanitary materials, neither incinerators nor any other proper disposal facilities and no space for washing the stained clothes, though more than 90% held that direct tap water for drinking is available. It is to be tested whether the direct tap water is safe without any contamination. The study suggested that safe drinking water and proper facilities for handling menstruation at the educational institutions are the mandatory basic needs, in which the management has to be doubly careful and provide such facilities. Conclusion: More number of girls considered lack of infrastructural facilities to be major hurdle in meeting their higher educational needs. Colleges lacked adequate availability of separate toilets for girls, with no proper sanitation facilities. Inadequate facilities of proper sanitation inside the girls toilets were reported to be a strong reason for girls drop-out.

Machine Learning Model for Water Quality Prediction using Python and AI framework

During the last years, water quality has been threatened due to unprocessed effluents, municipal refuse, factory wastes, junking of compostable and non-compostable effluents has hugely contaminated nature-provided water bodies like rivers, lakes and ponds are pollutants. Therefore, it is necessity to look into the water standards before the usage. Hence modeling and predicting water quality have become very important in controlling water pollution. Safe drinking-water access is essential to health, a basic human right and a component of effective policy for health protection. It is important as a health and development issue at a national, regional and local level. Thus it is a problem that can greatly benefit from Artificial Intelligence (AI). Traditional methods require human inspection and is time consuming. Automatic Machine Learning (AutoML) facilities provide machine learning with push of a button, or, on a minimum level, ensure to retain algorithm execution, data pipelines, and code, generally, are kept from sight and are anticipated to be the stepping stone for normalizing AI. However, it is a field under research still. This project work aims to recognize the areas where an AutoML system falls short or outperforms a traditional expert system built by data scientists. Keeping this as the motive, this project work dives into the Machine Learning (ML) algorithms for comparing AutoML and an expert architecture built by this project for Water Quality Assessment to evaluate the Water Quality Index, which gives the general water quality, and the Water Quality Class, a term classified on the basis of the Water Quality Index using python. In this Project, we are going to implement a water quality prediction using machine learning techniques. In this project, our model predicts, that the water is safe to drink or not, using some parameters like PH value, conductivity, hardness, etc. Finally the results of accuracy level of AutoML and Python compared with conventional ML techniques.

Evaluation of the Physico-Chemical and the sustainability of ground and surface water quality using statistical correlation method and Water Quality Index in Dimapur District, Nagaland

This study surveyed Dimapur District to identify the accessibility of safe drinking water and deduce the prevalence of harmful contaminants in water. 64 water samples collected from various point sources of Dimapur District were analysed. Nine parameters namely, pH, EC, TDS, DO, Fe, SO42-, TH, NO3– and PO43- were selected based on their importance in water quality to evaluate the permissibility of water sources for human consumption using Water Quality Index, Statistical Correlation and Principal Component Analysis. Understanding the water situation in the Dimapur district would lead to plans for potential urban water management in other districts of Nagaland.

Safe drinking water for small low-income communities: the long road from violation to remediation

Small, low-income communities in the United States disproportionately lack access to safe drinking water (i.e. water that meets regulated quality standards). At a community level, the literature has broadly claimed that a major barrier to safe drinking water access is low technical, managerial, and financial (TMF) capacity. At a broader structural level, the environmental justice literature has shown that historical neglect of low-income communities of color has resulted in numerous water systems without the financial and political resources to meet water quality standards. This study investigates the contemporary processes by which distributive injustices persist in California’s Central Valley. The study uses key informant interviews with a range of stakeholders, including employees at the state, county and community, non-profit organizations, and engineers, to understand why sustainable water quality solutions for small low-income communities remain such a challenge. The interviews are structured around a decision chain, which builds out the specific steps needed to go from a maximum contaminant level violation to remediation. The resulting decision chain makes visible the multiple steps at multiple stages with multiple actors that are needed to arrive at a solution to substandard water quality. It shows the numerous nodes at which progress can be stalled, and thus functions as a behind-the-scenes look at the (re)production of persistent inequalities. The complexity of the process shows why having the TMF capacity needed to get to a safe water system is not a reasonable expectation for most small community water systems. Inequalities are continually being produced and cemented, often by the very steps aimed towards remediation, thus making persistent disparities in safe drinking water access a de facto state-sanctioned process that compounds a discriminatory historical legacy.

Spatio-temporal patterns of domestic water distribution, consumption and sufficiency: Neighbourhood inequalities in Nairobi, Kenya

Whilst there are longstanding and well-established inequalities in safe-drinking water-access between urban and rural areas, there remain few studies of changing intra-urban inequalities over time. In this study, we determined the spatio-temporal patterns of domestic piped water distribution in Nairobi, Kenya between 1985 and 2018, and the implications of socio-economic and neighbourhood inequalities in water sufficiency. Using data from the Nairobi water and sewerage utility company for the period 2008–2018, we examined the sufficiency of monthly domestic water consumption per capita for 2380 itineraries (areas with an average population of 700) in relation to a residential neighbourhood classification, population and neighbourhood age and also examined water rationing patterns by neighbourhood type. Water sufficiency differed by residential areas, age of neighbourhood and population per itinerary. Compared to residents of low-income areas, those in high- and middle-income areas were six and four times more likely to receive the recommended 1500 L per capita per month respectively. Newer neighbourhoods and less densely populated areas were more likely to receive higher volumes of water. Non-revenue water loss accounted for 29% (average 3.5 billion litres per month) of water distributed across Nairobi, and was more than two times the amount of water needed for all residents to access the recommended monthly per capita water consumption. The observed spatial inequality in distribution, and access to piped water associated with socio-economic status and neighbourhood age highlights the need for deliberate planning and governance to improve water distribution to match the speed of growth of low/middle- and low-income residential areas and enhance equity.

Assessment of Urban Domestic Water Demand and Supply in Edo North, Nigeria

An exponential increase in the global population has seriously put pressure on land and water resources. It is projected that 33% of the worldwide people will be highly water-stressed by the 2050s if effective strategies are not developed. The study assessed urban domestic water demand and supply in Edo North senatorial district in Edo State, Nigeria. This is with the view of exploring some critical water resource variables to determine water security, distribution, and accessibility of safe drinking water in Edo North in Edo State in Nigeria. Integrated Water Resource Management Tools (IWRT) such as Water Poverty Index (WPI) and Water Accessibility Indicator (WAI) was applied. The results show that Auchi is highly water-stressed at the Estako-west area with MPI and WAI values of 0.24 and 0.33. Conversely, Okpella and Agenebode in Eskako central have MPI and WAI values 0.34 and 0.31, and 0.31 and 0.32. Sabo Gida Ora and Isobe in Owan East and West have better safe drinking water coverage and accessibility with the indicator values of 0.54, 0.53 [WPI], and 0.61 and 0.59 [WAI]. It is generally observed that the supply of potable water in the Edo North is highly unsecured and unsustainable to meet the current and future demand. Valuable and economic time is wasted to gather water from an average closest distance of 1.3 km from home to some designated water taps. In conclusion, it is imperative to design a robust integrated water policy that should include Private-Public-Partnership (PPP) to invest in the provision of safe drinking water.

Assessment of Urban Domestic Water Demand and Supply in Edo North, Nigeria

An exponential increase in the global population has seriously put pressure on land and water resources. It is projected that 33% of the worldwide people will be highly water-stressed by the 2050s if effective strategies are not developed. The study assessed urban domestic water demand and supply in Edo North senatorial district in Edo State, Nigeria. This is with the view of exploring some critical water resource variables to determine water security, distribution, and accessibility of safe drinking water in Edo North in Edo State in Nigeria. Integrated Water Resource Management Tools (IWRT) such as Water Poverty Index (WPI) and Water Accessibility Indicator (WAI) was applied. The results show that Auchi is highly water-stressed at the Estako-west area with MPI and WAI values of 0.24 and 0.33. Conversely, Okpella and Agenebode in Eskako central have MPI and WAI values 0.34 and 0.31, and 0.31 and 0.32. Sabo Gida Ora and Isobe in Owan East and West have better safe drinking water coverage and accessibility with the indicator values of 0.54, 0.53 [WPI], and 0.61 and 0.59 [WAI]. It is generally observed that the supply of potable water in the Edo North is highly unsecured and unsustainable to meet the current and future demand. Valuable and economic time is wasted to gather water from an average closest distance of 1.3 km from home to some designated water taps. In conclusion, it is imperative to design a robust integrated water policy that should include Private-Public-Partnership (PPP) to invest in the provision of safe drinking water.

Multiple water source use in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.

The Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) 2017 Update and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Baselines report classified 71% of the global population as having access to 'safely managed' drinking water. Current global monitoring efforts to track access to safely managed drinking water rely on collecting information on the 'primary' source of drinking water. However, there is evidence that households often rely on multiple sources to meet their water needs in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This systematic review was designed to compile the literature related to the practice of multiple water source use (MWSU) for drinking water in LMICs. A total of 5,318 studies were collected, and after abstract and full-text review, 74 articles were identified for inclusion. Studies reviewed reported from 4 to 100% of the study populations practicing MWSU. Additionally, the practice of supplemental unimproved source use was reported globally, representing households with improved primary source water also accessing unimproved water sources throughout the year. These findings expose gaps in current global water monitoring efforts, revealing potential inflation of reports of 'safe drinking water access' and unaccounted exposure to drinking water from unimproved sources.

A Better Way to Boil: Comparing Methods of Purifying Water at Home.

A Better Way to Boil: Comparing Methods of Purifying Water at Home.