Common Water Source Research Articles

Improved drinking water planning challenges in Urban Households’ in Bamenda city, Cameroon

Access to improved drinking water remains a fundamental need and a basic human right vital for the dignity and health of all people. There is an urgent need to increase access to improved drinking water in urban households in Bamenda city where a low proportion currently appears to be having access. There also exist marked disparity in access amongst the different Sub-divisions which is still to be scientifically investigated. This study sets out to investigate the improved drinking water planning challenges in urban households in Bamenda, Cameroon. The study used systematic field observation, household surveys and administration of 520 copies of questionnaire to urban household heads as primary sources of data collection. The administration of the 520 copies of questionnaire was carried out using purposive and simple random sampling techniques within Bamenda I, II and III Sub-Divisions. Primary data were matched with secondary source information obtained from WHO, UNICEF, UN, CDC, UNDP, PAHO and The University of Bamenda Central Library. Findings revealed that standpipes (41.3%), protected dug well (51.9%), piped water connected to households (54.8%), boreholes (61.9%), rain water collection (63.3%) and spring water harnessed to households (38.6%) constitutes the main urban households improved drinking water sources. Also, natural factors (33.67%) and planning-related challenges (63.33%) work together to limit access to improved drinking water to households. Field observation and measurements revealed that less than 5 urban households share a common water source, while other 42.88% cover <50m to get to the nearest improved drinking water source point. The study highlights that improved drinking water in Bamenda city is currently a limited and non-basic service. The study recommends the expansion of improved drinking water infrastructure by the relevant stakeholders, systematic data collection on factors affecting access to improved drinking water by urban households for better decision making, seek ways to increase accessibility of improved drinking water by the government via MINEE and MINDUH and finally, households should build water towers to store water for continuous use.

Extant interspecific hybridization among trematodes within the Schistosoma haematobium species complex in Nigeria.

Natural interspecific hybridization between the human parasite (Schistosoma haematobium [Sh]) and bovine parasites (Schistosoma bovis [Sb], Schistosoma curassoni [Sc]) is increasingly reported in Africa. We developed a multi-locus PCR DNA-Seq strategy that amplifies two unlinked nuclear (transITS, BF) and two linked organellar genome markers (CO1, ND5) to genotype S. haematobium eggs collected from infected people in Ile Oluji/Oke Igbo, Ondo State (an agrarian community) and Kachi, Jigawa State (a pastoral community) in Southwestern and Northern Nigeria, respectively. Out of a total of 219 urine samples collected, 57 were positive for schistosomes. All patients from Jigawa state possessed an Sh mitochondrial genome and were infected with a genetic profile consistent with an Sh x Sb hybrid based on sequences obtained at CO1, ND5, transITS and BF nuclear markers. Whereas samples collected from Ondo state were more varied. Mitonuclear discordance was observed in all 17 patients, worms possessed an Sb mitochondrial genome but one of four different genetic profiles at the nuclear markers, either admixed (heterozygous between Sh x Sc or Sh x Sb) at both markers (n = 10), Sh at BF and admixed at transITS (Sh x Sc) (n = 5), admixed (Sh x Sc) at BF and homozygous Sc at transITS (n = 1) or homozygous Sh at BF and homozygous Sc at transITS (n = 1). Previous work suggested that zoonotic transmission of S. bovis in pastoral communities, where humans and animals share a common water source, is a driving factor facilitating interspecific hybridization. However, our data showed that all samples were hybrids, with greater diversity identified in Southwestern Nigeria, a non-pastoral site. Further, one patient possessed an S. bovis mitochondrial genome but was homozygous for S. haematobium at BF and homozygous for S. curassoni at transITS supporting at least two separate backcrosses in its origin, suggesting that interspecific hybridization may be an ongoing process.

Suboptimal Bacteriological Quality of Household Water in Municipal Ibadan, Nigeria.

Access to potable water is difficult for many African residents. This study evaluated the bacteriological quality of household water collected in the dry and wet seasons across five municipal local government areas (LGAs) in Ibadan, a large city in southwest Nigeria. A total of 447 water samples (dry season, n = 250; wet season, n = 197) were aseptically collected from a random sample of mapped households within Ibadan's five municipal LGAs. The pH values and total aerobic and coliform bacterial counts were measured, and samples were screened for Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Shigella, and Yersinia by standard phenotypic techniques and multiplex polymerase chain reaction. The most common source of water was well (53.2%), followed by borehole (34%). None of the households used municipal tap water. Cumulatively, aerobic (P = 0.0002) and coliform (P = 0.0001) counts as well as pH values (P = 0.0002) changed significantly between seasons, with increasing and decreasing counts depending on the LGA. Nonpotable water samples were found to be very common during the dry (86.8%) and wet (74.1%) seasons. Escherichia coli spp., as indicators of recent fecal contamination, were isolated from 115 (25.7%) of the household water sources. Thirty three Salmonella, four enteroaggregative E. coli, and four enterotoxigenic E. coli isolates but no Shigella or Yersinia isolates were identified. This study revealed the absence of treated tap water and the poor quality of alternative sources with detectable pathogens in municipal Ibadan. Addressing the city-wide lack of access to potable water is an essential priority for preventing a high prevalence of feco-orally transmitted infections.

TOWARDS REUSE OF AQUACULTURE EFFLUENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE CROP PRODUCTION IN THE DRYLANDS: A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION

The aquaculture industry generates substantial amounts of effluents that may cause environmental pollution if not properly handled. However, since it may contain nutrients, aquaculture effluents could offer a sustainable source of irrigation water in the drylands, which are characterized by water scarcity. This paper provides preliminary findings on aquaculture effluent generation and management in Kano State which is located in Nigerian drylands. Surveys were conducted to obtain information related to the production size, sources of water, and effluent handling. 87% of the surveyed farms are small-scale and medium-scale enterprises, with capacities below 5000 fish. Catfish and Tilapia are the commonly produced fish, with 67% of the farms producing the former. Groundwater is the common source of water utilized by farms, accounting for about 72% of the total. Our findings indicate that there are no established criteria for changing the pond water, with the farms considering either the color of the water or its duration in the pond. Most of the farms change the water every 1 to 2 weeks while considering the change in color as the major criterion. The majority of the farms discharge the effluents directly without any treatment. Although some of the farms claimed to be treating their effluents, we could not establish the presence of treatment technologies on the farms. Unfortunately, most of the farmers are unaware of the environmental implications of discharging the effluents without treatment. Further studies are needed to characterize these effluents and to evaluate their suitability as irrigation water.

Effect of the type of brewing water on the sensory and physicochemical properties of light-scented and strong-scented Tieguanyin oolong teas

Variations in the quality of brewing water profoundly impact tea flavor. This study systematically investigated the effects of four common water sources, including pure water (PW), mountain spring water (MSW), mineral water (MW) and natural water (NW) on the flavor of Tieguanyin tea infusion. Brewing with MW resulted in a flat taste and turbid aroma, mainly due to the low leaching of tea flavor components and complex interactions with mineral ions (mainly Ca2+, Mg2+). Tea infusions brewed with NW exhibited the highest relative contents of total volatile compounds, while those brewed with PW had the lowest. NW and MSW, with moderate mineralization, were conducive to improving the aroma quality of tea infusion and were more suitable for brewing both aroma types of Tieguanyin. These findings offer valuable insights into the effect of brewing water on the sensory and physicochemical properties of oolong teas.

Management practices and cow comfort of crossbred dairy cows in youth managed dairy farm enterprises, South Gondar Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Good dairy farming methods and cow comfort are essential variables in reproductive efficiency, milk output, milk quality, and dairy cow health. The purpose of this study was to look into the management techniques and cow comfort status of crossbred dairy cows in youth managed dairy farm enterprises in Ethiopia's Amhara region's South Gondar zone. All (20) youth-managed dairy farm enterprises were chosen and questioned using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire, and all (204) lactation dairy cows were chosen for cow comfort assessment. The SPSS version 22 program was used to analyze the data. According to the findings, the most common feed sources used for their dairy cattle were formulated and unformulated agro-industrial byproducts followed by non-conventional and hay. Piped (35%) and bore (30%) water were the most common water sources for dairy cattle, with the majority of farms allowing free access to water. The majority of dairy farm firms (70%) uses artificial insemination as well as bull services. The majority of dairy farm enterprises (55%) had shared sheds, followed by individual sheds (45%) built with government assistance (55%), and family (30%) with the same design and construction. The challenges confronting dairy farm enterprises were ranked feed scarcity and high feed costs first, followed by a lack of access to land, a lack of access to markets, and a lack of credit, whereas the opportunities for dairy farm enterprises were ranked first increased demand for milk and milk products first, followed by rapid urbanization, rapid population growth, and the availability of cheap labor. The vast majority of cows (92%) were severely lame, followed by moderate lameness (83%) and the vast majority of cows (52.5%) had moderately injured legs, followed by severely injured legs. The udder and leg cleanliness of most cows was mid cleanliness (52.7%), as opposed to dirty (30%) and clean (17.2%) with a low cow comfort index (0.48). The mean stall length, bed length, brisket board height, neck rail height, lung space, feeder height, and feeder width were 239±16 cm, 222.7±28.3 cm, 10.5±3.6cm, 61.5±15.3 cm, 128.15±21.5 cm, 40.6±8.7 cm, and 36.7±6.9 cm, respectively. The results also revealed that the overall floor softness scored marginal (45%) softness rather than hard (30%) and normal (25%) floor softness. The majority of dairy farm enterprises (55%) did not provide bedding material for their cows and, the bedding materials include straw, hay, and sawdust. Bedding materials are renewed once a month (37.5%), twice a week (37.5%), and once a week (25%). The frequency of manure removal was twice daily (60%), three times daily (30%), and once daily (20%). The findings revealed that the cow’s comfort status is poor, so it is recommended that the barn be renovated routine management practices be improved, and assistance from the government and other relevant stakeholders is required in order to obtain credit to renovate the cow barn and improve management practices.

Assessment of gill microbiome of two strains of Atlantic salmon reared in flowthrough and recirculation hatcheries and following seawater transfer

The gill mucosal microbiome of Atlantic salmon has a significant impact on mucosal health and physiology under homeostatic conditions, but the microbial community may itself be influenced by host genetics, the culture system and seawater transfer. In this study, the impact of two commercial strains of Atlantic salmon, reared in two parallel hatchery systems (flow-through -FT and recirculation -RAS) on the gill microbiome was investigated. Samples of gill mucosal microbiome, tank biofilm and water were collected from the fish cohorts at the hatcheries and following seawater transfer. Though the gill microbiome of fish from the two commercially equivalent FT and RAS hatcheries had similar beta and alpha diversity, the alpha diversity indicators of bacterial communities of gills significantly increased after seawater input. Ultimately, no effect of the genetic strain on the gill microbiome was detected. Our results showed that under commercially equivalent FT or RAS hatchery systems with a common water source, two strains of Atlantic salmon had comparable gill microbiomes.

Edge-based compartmental modeling for the spread of cholera on random networks: A case study in Somalia

Cholera remains a major public health problem that threatens human health worldwide and its severity is continuing. In this paper, an edge-based model for cholera transmission on random networks is proposed and investigated. The model assumes that two communities share a common water source and includes three transmission routes, namely intra- and inter-community human-to-human transmission as well as water-to-human transmission. Intra-community human-to-human contacts are modeled through a random contact network, while both inter-community and water-to-human transmission are modeled through external nodes that reach each individual in the network to the same extent. The basic reproduction number and the equations of the final epidemic size are obtained. In addition, our study considers the cholera situation in Banadir, which is one of the most severely infected regions in Somalia, during the period (2019-2021). According to the geographical location, two adjacent districts are selected and our model fits well with the real data on the monthly cumulative cholera cases of these two districts during the above-mentioned period. From the perspective of network topology, cutting off high-risk contacts by supervising, isolating, quarantining and closing places with high-degree cholera-infected individuals to reduce degree heterogeneity is an effective measure to control cholera transmission. Our findings might offer some useful insights on cholera control.

Assessing groundwater quality: a case study in Ghana Talensi district

Abstract Because most life processes are directly or indirectly related to water, people are investigating on the various sources of drinking water supply. Surface water and groundwater are the most common sources of water for domestic and other uses. The availability of safe and sufficient drinking water in developing countries’ rural and many urban areas is critical. Groundwater has become the primary source of drinking water supply in northern Ghana, particularly in rural areas. Tongo, in northern Ghana, is entirely dependent on groundwater for its drinking water supply. The quality of groundwater from 15 boreholes and open well samples was assessed in this study. The primary goals of the research are to assess the quality of groundwater for drinking and to determine the distribution of major ions in groundwater and the factors that control them. Groundwater physicochemical parameters were within the WHO guidelines limit. However, coliform bacteria were found in some groundwater sources. Anthropogenic, natural, and ion exchange processes were also identified as controlling groundwater major ion distribution. Insanitary conditions were identified as potential sources of contamination during field observations. As a result, the regular monitoring of groundwater resources could reveal more about the area's groundwater quality status.

Large-scale surface water-groundwater origins and connectivity in the Ordos Basin, China: Insight from hydrogen and oxygen isotopes

The sustainability of water resources is a major challenge for the Ordos Basin and Loess Plateau of China. The basis of effective water management is an understanding of the water cycle process. This study investigated the surface water-groundwater origins and connectivity using stable isotopes (δD and δ18O) of surface water and groundwater in 11 river basins in the Ordos Basin. It was found that the surface water-groundwater origins and hydraulic connection were characterized by regional differences, mainly induced by climatic characteristics, hydrogeological conditions and human activities. Specifically, the impact of thick loess deposits caused surface water and groundwater to take long time to produce a hydraulic connection. In contrast, areas with thin loess deposits and frequent human activities showed a good connectivity between surface water and groundwater. As for water origins, summer precipitation was a common source of surface water and groundwater in the study area, and groundwater discharge was another source of surface water. However, surface water and groundwater were subjected to different degrees of evaporation during receiving precipitation recharge. Notably, thick loess deposits had an impact on groundwater evaporation because both the recharge of precipitation to groundwater and the discharge of groundwater to surface water took a long time. In addition, it was found that frequent human activities (mining, irrigation and urban construction) could weaken the impact of evaporation. This large-scale analysis provided new insights into the origins and connectivity of surface water and groundwater in areas with thick unsaturated zones for water resources management.

Biologic quality of households' drinking-water in an urban local government area of Oyo State, Southwest, Nigeria

Background: Inadequate access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities is a global public health issue with several associated illnesses, particularly in developing countries like Nigeria. It is imperative to understand the availabilities of these facilities, to provide baseline data for policy design and implementation. This study assessed access to WASH facilities. It also examined the factors associated with drinking-water contamination by coliform organisms in households within Ogbomoso North Local Government Area, Oyo-State, Nigeria.
 Methods: Cross-sectional design was employed and a two-stage cluster-sampling method was used to recruit eligible respondents from 100 households. Interviewer-administer, semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used for inferential statistics.
 Results: Mean age of respondents was 40.5±16.7years, 81.0% of the households practiced open defecation, and 78.9% of those with toilet facilities used pit latrines. The most common water source was borehole (71.6%); available within 5 minutes walking distance to residence of 68.0% of study participants. Sixty-three percent of the households had high drinking water coliform counts. High drinking-water coliform counts were influenced by the presence or absence of toilets facilities (OR=4.61, CI=1.22-1.68), types of toilets (OR=2.63, CI=3.22-5.34), and water sources (OR=0.12, CI=0.47-0.68).
 Conclusion: Access to good quality water and basic sanitation facilities is sub-optimal in the study setting despite being an urban community. Authors advocate for more vibrant and intentional government efforts at ensuring equitable access to WASH facilities in the Nigerian communities. This is to fast-track the nation's journey towards the actualization of the sustainable development goal (SDG)-6.

Water in the city: visitation of animal wildlife to garden water sources and urban lakes

Providing garden water sources (e.g., ponds, bird baths) has become a popular and strongly promoted form of wildlife-friendly gardening, yet evidence of their use by animals is scarce and limited to a few taxa and water source types. We examined the prevalence, variety and potential value to animal wildlife of supplementary water provided within gardens of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, using an online questionnaire and field observations of wildlife visitation to urban water sources during summer 2021. Over 70% of 105 questionnaire respondents indicated the presence of at least one water source in their garden and almost 50% had two or more. Bird baths, ground water-bowls and ponds were the most common water source types provided. During 207 h of field observation, we recorded a total of 43 taxa (birds, insects, mammals, amphibians, reptiles) visiting urban lakes and garden birth baths, ponds and ground water-bowls. Taxa richness was similar at urban lakes (30) and garden water sources (27), although approximately 50% of the taxa recorded in each location were unique to that location. Visitation rates of smaller-bodied wildlife did not differ between lakes and gardens, nor among individual water source types. Multivariate analyses indicated insect assemblages visiting lakes did not differ from those visiting garden water sources, and small bird assemblages did not differ among each water source type. These results demonstrate garden water sources, especially for smaller-bodied animals, can supplement the wildlife values contributed by urban lake systems, and should continue to be promoted as an effective conservation action.

Hydrogen in acapulcoites and lodranites: A unique source of water for planetesimals in the inner Solar System

Acapulcoites and lodranites are primitive achondrites, sampling a common planetesimal formed a few million years after calcium-aluminium rich inclusions in the inner Solar System, that provides information into melting and differentiation processes in the early inner Solar System. The chemistry and mineralogy of their chondritic parent body lies in between enstatite and ordinary chondrites. As they record a range in planetary differentiation degree, from 1% up to 20% partial melting, with lodranites experiencing the most melt extraction, we investigate (i) the behaviour of hydrogen in terms of abundance and isotopic composition during the early stages of planetary differentiation and (ii) the source(s) of hydrogen for the acapulcoite-lodranite parent body in order to place it in our current understanding of the source(s) of water in the inner Solar System. In this study, we analysed water content and hydrogen isotopic composition of phosphates and nominally anhydrous minerals in a range of acapulcoite and lodranite meteorite samples. While apatites seemed to have recorded a degassing signature, no such variations were observed in the H2O–δD systematics of the nominally anhydrous minerals suggesting that subsequent to their crystallisation, acapulcoites and lodranites experienced minimal modifications to their volatile composition during thermal metamorphism and partial melting. The low abundance of water in acapulcoite and lodranite nominally anhydrous minerals (i.e., average 5.2±1.6 μg/g H2O) suggests that their parent body was much drier than what has been estimated for enstatite and ordinary chondrite parent bodies. We estimated a bulk water content for the acapulcoite-lodranite parent body of 3 to 19 μg/g H2O, similar to the ureilite parent body. The hydrogen isotopic composition of nominally anhydrous minerals in acapulcoites and lodranites (–211±145‰), and in particular for the two falls Acapulco and Lodran (–239±149‰), matches with the hydrogen isotopic composition recorded by nominally anhydrous minerals in ordinary chondrite falls, eucrites, S–type asteroid Itokawa, consistent with a common source of water for the inner Solar System planetesimals, isotopically distinctive to bulk carbonaceous chondrites.

Comparison of Soil Nitrate and Phosphorus Concentrations Prior to and Five to Eleven Years after Recycled Water Irrigation

Increasing demand on water supplies in western US and more stringent wastewater discharge standards have made recycled water a common water source for irrigating urban green spaces. Studies are needed to evaluate nitrate-N leaching potential and phosphorus (P) movement along soil profile when recycled wastewater is used for irrigation. We collected and analyzed soil samples at the commencement and 5 and 11 years after recycled water irrigation on 2 golf courses, 5 metropolitan parks, and 1 school ground. Samples were taken at 0-20, 20-40, 40-60, 60-80, and 80-100 cm depths on golf courses and at 0-20 and 20-40 cm depths at other locations. Soil samples were tested for soil pH, soil nitrate, and AB-DTPA extracted P level. No increase in soil nitrate-N was observed over 5 and 11 years with recycled water irrigation, suggesting leaching of nitrogen to the groundwater was not a great concern. Soil P concentration at the surface soil depth was the highest 11 years after recycled water irrigation. Moreover, soil P increasing below the surface layer was observed on sites with sandy soil, suggesting long-term recycled water irrigation could impose some risk for P leaching on sandy soil.

Exposure risk to heavy metals through surface and groundwater used for drinking and household activities in Ifite Ogwari, Southeastern Nigeria

Surface and groundwater are the most common sources of water in Nigeria's rural communities, which are used for a variety of purposes ranging from farming to industrial processes and other domestic household activities including drinking. Water that contains heavy metals in excess of the maximum permitted levels poses a risk to human health. This study aims to evaluate the levels of heavy metals in surface and groundwater in Ifite Ogwari, a rural community in Anambra State, Southeast Nigeria, as well as their ecological indices and human health risks assessment. The concentration levels of Ni, Cr, Cd, Pb, Zn, Fe, Mn, and Cu were determined in fifteen water samples from the major water sources in the study area, viz., streams, river, and hand-dug wells. The water samples were collected using precleaned 500 cm3 glass bottles and were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) technique. The results showed that four metals (Cr, Cu, Mn, and Pb) out of the eight heavy metals were not detected in all the samples. The concentration levels of total Ni had a range of 0.029–0.11 mg/L with highest concentration occurring at Isiachala stream, Onowulugbe well, and Omambala river (0.11 mg/L). The Cd levels in the water samples had a range of 0.001–0.036 mg/L, with Isiachala and Iyiutu having the highest values (0.036 mg/L). The concentration of Fe ranged from 0.01 to 0.047 mg/L. Mn was detected at a concentration level of 0.003 mg/L in Iyiutu stream only. The Pearson correlation deduced a strong correlation (> 0.75) and a medium correlation (0.50–0.75) for sample locations and analytes, while three factors (principal component analysis) were produced, which indicates the influence of anthropogenic release rather than natural release. Ecological indices showed the impact of multi-elemental matrices on the ecology, while health risk assessments showed that there was no adverse cancer risk or non-cancer risk across respondents (adults and children). The obtained results showed that anthropogenic release has an extensive mobility influence on the natural level of metals in surface and ground water in Ifite Ogwari, and so proper treatment is advocated. This study has shown that the water sources from Ifite Ogwari pose no adverse health risk to the residents. Consequently, additional research on Ifite Ogwari water is needed to characterize “forever chemicals,” per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) which are ubiquitous, cancerous and have been linked to reproductive and immune system harm, and suggest routes for remediation.

Groundwater Management Based on Time Series and Ensembles of Machine Learning

Due to the necessity of effective water management, the issue of water scarcity has developed into a significant global issue. One way to collect water is through the water management method. The most common source of fresh water anywhere in the world is groundwater, which has developed into a significant global issue. Our previous research used machine learning (ML) for training models to classify groundwater quality. However, in this study, we used the time series and ensemble methods to propose a hybrid technique to enhance the multiclassification of groundwater quality. The proposed technique distinguishes between excellent drinking water, good drinking water, poor irrigation water, and very poor irrigation water. In this research, we used the GEOTHERM dataset, and we pre-processed it by replacing the missing and null values, solving the sparsity problem with our recommender system, which was previously proposed, and applying the synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE). Moreover, we used the Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) feature selection technique to select the relevant attributes. The dataset was divided into a training set (75%) and a testing set (25%). The time-series algorithm was used in the training phase to learn the four ensemble techniques (random forest (RF), gradient boosting, AdaBoost, and bagging. The four ensemble methods were used in the testing phase to validate the proposed hybrid technique. The experimental results showed that the RF algorithm outperformed the common ensemble methods in terms of multiclassification average precision, recall, disc similarity coefficient (DSC), and accuracy for the groundwater dataset by approximately 98%, 89.25%, 93%, and 95%, respectively. As a result, the evaluation of the proposed model revealed that, compared to other recent models, it produces unmatched tuning-based perception results.

Effective solutions to restore and increase water reserves for springs in Dien Bien province

Springs are the relatively common sources of water used in Dien Bien province, especially in the high mountains and water-scarce areas. However, a decline in the quantity and quality of springs is taking place in most study areas of the province. Based on the analysis of the hydrogeological structural characteristics of various types of springs, this article introduces solutions to restore and increase the water reserve for the springs in the province. The experimental results for a specific model in Muong Bang commune, Tua Chua district, Dien Bien province showed that the proposed solution can add about 5,377 m-3.a-1 to the exposed spring sources within the project basin.

Women, technology, and water: creating new waterscapes and contesting cultural norms

Abstract With the analysis of primary data, the paper looks at how the adoption of new modes of water technologies and subsequent water commercialization has created new waterscapes. Water commercialization is changing cultural norms associated with water collection in the drought-prone villages of western Rajasthan. The newly introduced water tankers have selectively benefited the upper caste rich households who now buy water from the tankers at doorsteps. The majority of the poor and low caste households remain dependent on common water sources that are drying up due to neglect with the advent of water commercialization. Women from low caste poor households have to walk for long distances to fetch water in addition to doing physical labor to support family income. Though domestic water use remains a domain of woman's working space, men from high caste rich households have started fetching and storing water as it entails cash transactions.

Access to basic drinking water services, safe water storage, and household water treatment practice in rural communities of northwest Ethiopia

Protecting water from cross contamination at source and point of use is an important strategy to improve water quality. However, water safety measures at the source and point of use may not be implemented in the rural communities. This community-based cross-sectional study was, therefore, conducted among 1190 randomly selected households in a rural setting of northwest Ethiopia to assess access to basic drinking water services, safe water storage, and household water treatment practices. Water service level was determined using JMP criteria and practices that prevent cross contamination of water at point of use were used to determine safe water storage. Results showed that 23.0% of the households had access to basic water services; 37.0% practiced safe water storage; and 15.4% practiced one or more household water treatment methods. Public taps (54.5%) and protected spring (25.1%) were the common water sources to rural communities in northwest Ethiopia. Boiling (43.2%), chlorination or water guard (26.8%), and plain sedimentation (23.0%) were among the household water treatment methods commonly practiced in the area. In conclusion, rural households in the studied region has low access to basic water services. Safe water storage practice was also low in the area and household water treatment is not commonly practiced.

INVESTIGATING THE ACUTE CARDIAC EFFECTS ON AQUATIC ORGANISMS BY GASOLINE POLLUTION IN LAKE-SIMULATED BEAKERS USING Daphnia magna

Petroleum and its product are one of the most common water and soil pollutant sources and have caused marine and terrestrial spillages. The oil from these spills from polluted groundwater returns to the human population through numerous pathways by consuming fish and shellfish. Daphnia magna, also known as the water flea, is a small planktonic crustacean that lives in bodies of freshwater. They are an ideal model for testing the toxicity of substances due to their high sensitivity to environmental chemicals. Therefore, the data acquired with Daphnia can serve dual purposes: one for an indicator of environmental pollution and the other for estimating adverse effects on the human body, though not directly.
 In this study, a lake-simulated model was created using organic materials, laboratory shakers, and temperature control systems in groups of beakers, and their variable dependency was investigated. It was concluded that Daphnia's heartbeat was significantly depressed by the existence of gasoline pollution. Moreover, the impact on the cardiac function was linearly correlated with the lake-simulated model's gasoline volume, organic material concentration, and temperature. However, there seemed to be complicated conditions that existed mutually depending on the variables. Further study may be necessary for any underlying mechanism within the organs in the body.