Recent advancements to improve drinking water quality in poultry farms.

Calibration of human and dog molecular markers for direct quantification of faecal pollution in marine ecosystems.

Surface water and groundwater suitability assessment for drinking and irrigation in a coal-mining area of southwestern China: EWQI, IWQI, and sensitivity analysis.

Global mapping of pharmaceutical ecological risk in rivers using machine learning: drivers, hotspots, and compounded water stress.

Physicochemical and bacterial contamination pose a significant threat to drinking water quality in Bangladesh, requiring comprehensive analysis. This study investigates the physicochemical and metagenomic quality of drinking water from one of four water treatment plants (WTPs) in Kushtia Municipality, Bangladesh. Water samples (n = 3) from untreated, treated, and supplied water were collected between March 1 and 7, 2025. Thirteen physicochemical parameters were analyzed using traditional methods, while bacterial load was assessed using Plate Count Agar. Microbial diversity was analyzed through metagenomic sequencing of DNA extracted using the DNeasy PowerWater Kit, targeting the 16S rRNA gene (V3-V4 region) on the Illumina MiSeq platform. Alpha and beta diversity were evaluated with Chao1, Shannon, and Simpson indices, and taxonomic and pathway analysis were performed on the Kaiju and Nephele platforms. Water quality was assessed using treatment efficiency metrics, the Water Quality Index (WQI), and the Nemerow Pollution Index (NPI). Results reveal that only three of the physicochemical parameters meet the water quality standards of Bangladesh. The WTP's cumulative efficiency metric was found to be 30.76%. The WQI indicated that all water samples were unfit for drinking. The NPI showed that eight out of thirteen physicochemical parameters significantly contribute to poor water quality. Microbial evaluations revealed high bacterial levels in untreated and supplied water samples. Alpha diversity analysis, using Shannon and Simpson indices, showed no significant differences in bacterial abundance across water types. Beta diversity analysis indicated minimal dissimilarity. Functional profiling suggested the presence of antibiotic resistance-associated pathways, with predicted beta-lactam resistance representing 24.1% in treated water and 25.0% in supplied water. The dominant phyla include Proteobacteria (38% in untreated, 39% in treated, and 42% in supplied). About 75%, 83%, and 67% of the identified bacterial species were found to be pathogenic, antibiotic-resistant, and biofilm-forming, respectively, while 58% were classified as opportunistic pathogens. These results underscore the need for improved water treatment practices and more robust monitoring systems to ensure the population can access safe drinking water.

The exponential growth in global higher education enrolment has significantly influenced urban landscapes, positioning students as key stakeholders in housing debates. However, current discussions on urban issues, particularly housing conditions, often overlook students’ perspectives. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this issue, as many students worldwide faced a mismatch between their living conditions and health needs. This study addresses this gap by investigating students’ satisfaction with on-campus accommodation during COVID-19, focusing on healthy housing indicators. The research was conducted in the dormitories of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, a leading higher education institution in Iran. Initially, a systematic literature review was employed to determine indicators relevant to healthy housing. This review identified 43 indicators across five key areas: comfort, air quality, water supply and quality, fitness, and services. A comprehensive questionnaire was then used to collect data on students’ perceptions of these indicators. The findings show high satisfaction with green spaces, alongside concerns regarding inadequate thermal and sound insulation, poor water quality control, and the lack of health-promoting facilities such as physical activity incentives, nutritious food options and medical supplies. The study concludes with policy implications drawn from students’ input, offering insights for healthy housing planning during and beyond public‑health emergencies.

Taptapani Geothermal Spring (∼Eastern Ghat Terrain, India): Investigating Hydrogeochemistry, Solute Transport Mechanisms, Geothermometry, and Water Quality Index

Introduction Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) aquaculture accounts for nearly 80% of Ghana’s farmed fish production, with cage culture on Volta Lake as the dominant system. In recent years, production has been severely constrained by high disease-related mortalities, notably due to Streptococcus agalactiae and Infectious Spleen and Kidney Necrosis Virus (ISKNV). This study investigated how farm management practices and farmers’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions influence disease dynamics on Volta Lake. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 56 farms across five districts was conducted using semi-structured questionnaires and interviews with farmers and the local fish health officer. Results showed that disease outbreaks were reported in all farms, with mortalities ranging from 10-80%. Results Farmers attributed outbreaks primarily to pathogens, but also to poor water quality, high stocking densities, and inadequate biosecurity. Diagnostic practices varied, with most farmers relying on clinical signs or peer consultation rather than laboratory testing. Clinical signs commonly reported included exophthalmia, swollen abdomens, and skin lesions. Farm management practices such as grading, sourcing of fingerlings, water quality monitoring, and biosecurity were inconsistent and largely unstandardized. Regression analysis indicated that stocking density, biosecurity, and water quality monitoring did not significantly predict disease-related mortality, underscoring the multifactorial nature of outbreaks in this open water system. Discussion The findings highlight the need for coordinated extension services, accessible diagnostic facilities, and standardized farm management protocols to strengthen disease prevention and control in Ghana’s cage aquaculture sector.

Assessment of groundwater quality is becoming essential for effective resource management. In this study, we conducted a seasonal assessment of groundwater quality, hydrogeochemical processes, and statistical analyses in the city of Moundou. A total of 62 groundwater samples were taken in the 27 districts of the city, in August 2022 (rainy season) and May 2023 (dry season), respectively. From a geochemical point of view, the results highlighted two dominant geochemical facies in both the dry and wet seasons: the calcium-magnesium bicarbonate facies (Ca-Mg-HCO₃) and the sodium-potassium bicarbonate facies (Na-K-HCO₃). The multivariate analysis showed that the mineralisation of gypsum (CaSO4 · 2H2O), CaCl2 salts, silicates, carbonates and the decomposition of organic matter are the main processes affecting the quality of Moundou’s water. The physico-chemical results show that of the parameters monitored, only pH, iron and ammonium do not comply with the WHO standard, and almost 89% of the sites sampled are considered acceptable according to QWI values. Only the sites in the north-east of the city showed poor water quality during the rainy season. On the whole, this water is of better quality for irrigation.

Estuarine common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) inhabiting the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) have been documented with light brown skin lesions, loosely categorized as "algal sheens". In recent years, dolphins from the IRL have also exhibited unusual necro-ulcerative orofacial lesions. To date, no metabarcoding investigation has been conducted to determine whether "algal sheens" observed on the dolphins are pathogenic, opportunistic or are indicators of poor health or water quality. The aim of this study was to investigate the etiology of "algal sheens" and orofacial lesions, to assess the pathogenic potential. In this study, 13 skin and "algal sheen" swabs from 11 dolphins were sequenced using metabarcoding techniques. Genus-level identification was achieved and compared. Results from both "algal sheen" and orofacial lesion samples demonstrated higher bacterial diversity than reported in normal bottlenose dolphin skin microbiomes. Previously unreported bacterial genera were identified, genera containing pathogenic species found in both sample types. Species responsible for "algal sheens" were not definitively identified. Numerous cyanobacterial genera typically found in eutrophic conditions were identified.

Poor water quality and inadequate water treatment are prevalent in developing nations, making water treatment a critical concern. Moringa stenopetala and Cadaba farinosa are tropical plants whose seeds are anticipated to act as coagulants or disinfectants. So, this study is designed to test the turbidity and E. coli removal efficiency of the matured seeds of the two plants and related determinant factors. A laboratory based study was conducted. About 8L water samples were collected from a river. About 30, 60 and 100mg of seed powder dosages were used, with settling times of 30, 60 and 90 minutes. Each 1 L water sample was treated with each of the dosages. E. coli, temperature, pH, and turbidity were measured. Treatment differences between plants and predictor variables were tested. After treatment of river water samples containing 15 E. coli colonies per 100ml of water, the result showed zero E. coli colonies per 100ml of water at the minimum optimum dosage of 30mg of M. stenopetala seed and Cadaba farinosa seed after 90 minutes of settling time. M. stenopetala seed showed the highest turbidity reduction of 73.3%. The study showed a significant difference between Cadaba farinosa and M. stenopetala seeds in removing turbidity (P-value = 0.011), but no difference in removing E. coli (P-value = 0.785). Turbidity, dosage and settling time were identified as factors. Seeds of both plants have antimicrobial properties against E. coli, but only M. stenopetala showed parameters within the WHO limits. So, this study points to M. stenopetala as a potential natural coagulant and disinfectant.

Interactions between climate change and anthropogenic stressors such as poor water quality and habitat degradation have had deleterious consequences for freshwater biodiversity, enhancing the spread of non-native species tolerant of a range of conditions, while reducing the resilience of native species. Analysis of freshwater fishes (Actinopterygii) reveals a gradual rise in the proportion of non-native species, and the homogenization of biotas since the start of the Anthropocene has accelerated in recent years. This process has been more apparent in some regions, but after a slight lag, less impacted regions, such as East Asia, are catching up, and the greater prevalence of non-native species has increased assemblage homogeneity. Using examples from human-dominated landscapes in tropical East Asia, especially China, we describe the increasing dominance of non-native fishes (NNF) in degraded or novel habitats. In highly urbanized Hong Kong and Singapore, their richness has grown to exceed the number of native species. They include fishes introduced for aquaculture and a growing variety imported for tropical aquaria. Species that have life-history adaptations with no analogues among their East Asian counterparts have become particularly successful. As climate-change 'winners', NNF will become more prevalent in a warmer world, leaving a distinctive Anthropocene fingerprint upon freshwater ecosystems. This article is part of the theme issue 'The biosphere in the Anthropocene.'

Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) are significant urban pests and disease vectors. In addition to small containers, the urban storm drains serve as an extensive production ground. Management of these species is notoriously challenging due to numerous reasons, such as lack of optimal larvicide products. A larvicide, Sumilarv 0.5G Sachet, containing 0.5% pyriproxyfen, a juvenile hormone analog (JHA), was evaluated for its bioactivity and efficacy in simulated storm drain catch basins. In bioassays, high bioactivity in inhibition of emergence (IE) was observed with no significant differences between test materials or species. Against Ae. aegypti, the IE10, IE50 and IE90, respectively, measured 0.011, 0.028, and 0.122 ppb for the technical grade, and 0.016, 0.036, and 0.161 ppb for the formulated granules from the sachet. A similar bioactivity was observed in Ae. albopictus. The IE10, IE50, and IE90, respectively, amounted 0.013, 0.033, and 0.142 ppb for the technical grade, and 0.015, 0.038, and 0.151 ppb for the formulated product. In simulated storm drain catch basins, application of Sumilarv 0.5G Sachet at three sachets (25 g each) per 151.4 L of water provided sustained control of Ae. aegypti (91.1% to 100%) and Ae. albopictus (91.0% and 100%) for up to 22 wk, despite poor water quality and low detectable pyriproxyfen concentrations. These results demonstrate that Sumilarv 0.5G Sachet is a highly effective and reliable larvicide for long-term control of invasive Aedes mosquitoes in urban storm drain systems.

The Upper Olifants River Catchment in the Mpumalanga Province has experienced water contamination in the past few decades due to existing land use and land cover. This study employed hydrochemical and environmental isotopes to investigate the water quality and understand the sources of contaminants within tertiary catchments B11F and B11G of the Upper Olifants River Catchment. The hydrochemistry results indicate that the shallow weathered aquifers are more susceptible to contamination with major pollutants being TDS, SO4, Ca, Mg, Fe, and Mn, which can be associated with the geology and coal mining activities in the area. Additionally, the environmental isotopes suggest that the climate, fractionation, and elevation play a major role in the evolution of the water. The correlation of major ion ratios suggests that processes such as silicate and carbonate weathering and cation exchange reactions play a significant role in making the water vulnerable to pollution. In general, the overall water quality index of the study area indicates poor water quality falling within the range of 0 < WQI ≤ 44, making it undesirable for domestic use. Furthermore, approximately 35% of the samples are not suitable for irrigation purposes based on the SAR and PI.

ABSTRACT This review paper asks: What does the water justice literature reveal about the core elements of water justice in terms of content and at different scalar levels, and what are the key dilemmas? It concludes that, first, despite differing justice perspectives, common ideas emerge (e.g. human right to water, no harm principle) and differing ideas from differing sources contribute to water justice understandings (e.g. priority of use, equitable water distribution). Second, there are persistent dilemmas between the mainstream liberal capitalist approach and the alternative approach(es), such as ontological differences, valuing water, scalar tensions and process versus substantive justice debates. Third, despite longstanding justice ideals, crises persist – breached planetary boundaries, poor water quality, unmet needs and climate impacts. Addressing these complex challenges requires a fundamental, equitable shift in water justice thinking among scholars and policy makers, as well as in governance globally, and finding solutions to the dilemmas mentioned above.

Abstract Intra-system water quality varies across a water distribution system, and large, unexpected shifts in consumer demands can create changes in the spatio-temporal dynamics of water flows and water quality. Exposure to poor water quality leads to negative health outcomes, and households that seek to avoid tap water and use bottled water as an alternative source of water can bear a substantial cost. This research applies a sociotechnical agent-based modeling framework, the COVID-19 social distancing and tap water avoidance agent-based model (COST-ABM) to explore how intra-system changes in water quality lead to poor water quality and issues with affordability for households and neighborhoods. COST-ABM simulates the movement of individual agents to and from home, work, and leisure locations under decisions to social-distance and the purchase of bottled water under decisions to avoid tap water. For scenarios of changing demands associated with social distancing, water age is exacerbated, which leads to tap water avoidance. COST-ABM assesses equity based on the total cost of tap and bottled water as a percentage of income for low-income households. COST-ABM is applied for a synthetic case study that was developed to represent Clinton, North Carolina. A synthetic hydraulic model is created using street maps to place pipes and nodes, well locations to place water sources, and building types to determine demands. Household demographics are distributed to represent the population of Clinton based on census data. Results demonstrate spatial changes in water quality that lead to tap water avoidance and economic inequities. Emergent results demonstrate that inequities among demographic groups do not emerge, but that inequities emerge across income groups and water quality at nodes. The sociotechnical modeling approach that is developed in this research applies COST-ABM to identify and quantify inequities in drinking water quality and water affordability in piped distribution systems. This work focuses on demand changes associated with pandemic scenarios and can be applied to assess equity in water for other demand shifting scenarios, such as extreme weather events, adoption of decentralized water systems, and working from home.

Operations in the upstream reservoir pose significant challenges for remotely operated vehicles (ROV) due to deep water with poor water quality, complex changes in flow state during the dam inspection tasks. Although the rigid frames and buoyancy shells can support underwater vehicles, the collision risk often results in structural damage and information loss for ROV. Hence, a novel type of quick-disconnected soft collision-protection structure is proposed, which safeguards the body devices, with the merits of lightweight, limited size, soft material in elastic deformation to absorb energy self-adaptively and assembly into groups for customization. To achieve high collision protection performance, the mechanical behavior of the Component model is numerically investigated, and the experimental equipment is set up for underwater collision. The findings indicate that TPU material shell filled with H250 PU foam presents superior collision protection properties. Component 1 is identified as optimal for the main body, where structural dimension extension from Component 1 to Component 3 yields a 15.9% peak contact force reduction but 27.3% SEA value decrease. In addition, elastic deformation-based energy absorption mechanisms enable single soft protection structure to safeguard ROV under 0.5 m/s-velocity collisions with 100 kg-counterweight self-adaptively. While higher-speed collisions exhibit a 34.8% prolonged peak force occurrence compared to lower-speed cases. Eight soft collision-protection units are matched to a bionic protection group for the dam inspection underwater vehicle, with a verification in the field water cushion pool. This work presents an effective solution for dam inspection underwater vehicle collision protection on soft materials in group assembly.

Drinking water quality is a critical factor in poultry production, and suboptimal drinking water can negatively influence immune functions leading to reduced vaccine efficacy. In the field study, we assessed drinking water quality on Alberta layer farms and evaluated its impact on vaccine-induced immune responses. Chemical, physical and microbiological analyses were performed on 26 water samples collected from Alberta layer farms and serological response for poultry viral vaccines were evaluated at the same time. The water hardness, pH, bicarbonates, and dissolved sodium exceeded acceptable limits in 34 %, 50 %, 46 %, and 27 % of the farms, respectively. Farm-level data revealed no significant direct correlation between water quality scores and vaccine induced serological response. For the controlled experiment, specific pathogen-free White Leghorn chicks were assigned to 4 groups: tap water control (TW-control), field water control (FW-control), tap water vaccinated (TW-vaccinated), and field water (FW-vaccinated), two of the groups were vaccinated against infectious bronchitis while maintaining unvaccinated controls and all 4 groups were maintained on their respective water sources for ∼8 weeks. Controlled experiments showed that vaccinated birds receiving FW had 600 units lower mean antibody titers compared to those given TW, which is statistically not significant. The vaccinated FW group also showed reduced CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cell populations in the spleen and lungs, along with altered IFN-γ and significantly increased IL-10 transcription. In conclusion, although the field data showed a lack of correlation between water quality and vaccine induced serological response, the control experiment revealed that poor water quality might influence the infectious bronchitis vaccine effectiveness in layers.

This study presents an integrated geophysical, and hydrochemical assessment of groundwater in Alor and its environs in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. The research utilized geological mapping, vertical electrical sounding (VES), and hydrochemical analyses to characterize the subsurface lithologies, aquifer systems, and groundwater quality. Geological mapping revealed that the area is predominantly underlain by the Nanka Formation, consisting mainly of poorly consolidated sands, claystone, siltstone, and ironstone beds. Geophysical investigations delineated five to six geo-electric layers, with aquiferous zones identified at depths of 117-155 m and resistivity values ranging from 1,213 to 5,442 Ωm. Hydrochemical results indicate that surface waters are slightly acidic, elevated biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), Heavy metal (Hg, Cd, Ar, and Pb) concentrations are high, and E. Coli are found in all the samples, rendering them unsuitable for drinking without treatment. The findings collectively reveal the presence of confined aquifers with favourable hydrogeological conditions yet poor water quality, highlighting the need for proper treatment before domestic use. This integrated assessment contributes to improved groundwater development, sustainable water resource management, and enhanced community wellbeing.

The Goulmima-Tadighoust region faces significant challenges with its alluvial aquifer, mainly due to intensive groundwater exploitation driven by the Green Morocco plan. This study, conducted in 2019 and 2021, investigates the deterioration of groundwater quality in the area, mapping the Quaternary aquifer using physicochemical parameters. Geographic Information System (GIS) was employed to create thematic maps for spatial analysis. Groundwater in the region exhibits two distinct chemical facies, impacted by salinization processes, leading to elevated electrical conductivity. Water quality indicators suggest unsuitability for irrigation due to high salinity and alkalinity. Nitrate pollution is observed, posing a moderate health risk. Factors contributing to water quality degradation include natural contamination, untreated wastewater discharge, improper solid waste disposal, and geological factors. A considerable portion of the study area exhibits a Water Quality Index (WQI) exceeding 200, indicating poor water quality, particularly south of Tadighoust and east of Goulmima oasis.