Portable Drinking Water Research Articles

Performance optimization and comparative study of a conical solar distiller with optimized construction of aluminium balls as energy storage materials

This study seeks to find the ideal size of aluminum balls to improve the effectiveness of conical solar stills for storing energy, due to the increasing demand for drinking water and the high costs of getting portable drinking water. To achieve this, three comparable conical solar distillers were made using aluminum balls of various diameters (1 cm, 1.5 cm, 2 cm, and 2.5 cm) at a 4 cm center spacing. Two days were spent on the experiments. The first distiller had no metal balls on the first day, whereas the second and third had 41 1 cm and 1.5 cm aluminum balls uniformly dispersed at the bottom. On the second day, the first distiller had no metal balls, but the second and third had 41 2 cm and 2.5 cm balls. The water basin depth was consistently maintained at 2.5 cm. The results revealed that the distiller with 2 cm diameter aluminum balls achieved the highest productivity, yielding 840 mL/m2, compared to the distillers with aluminum balls of 1 cm, 1.5 cm, and 2.5 cm diameter, as well as the conventional distiller without any storage materials, which yielded 645 mL/m2, 695 mL/m2, 755 mL/m2, and 570 mL/m2, respectively. The ideal diameter for the aluminum balls was found to be 2 cm, leading to a significant 47.37 % enhancement in water productivity. Conical solar stills using 2 cm diameter aluminum balls as an economical energy storage material provide the best answer.

Heavy metals pollution, distribution and associated human health risks in groundwater and surface water: a case of Kampala and Mbarara districts, Uganda

Groundwater and surface water quality is of great significance for humanity as they serve as the primary drinking water sources globally. Due to population growth and the need to provide people with necessities that depend on water as an essential resource, these bodies of water are becoming more polluted. The present study involved the collection of groundwater and surface water samples from Kampala and Mbarara districts in Uganda during the dry and wet seasons. Also, concentrations of lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), and iron (Fe) were analyzed in order to evaluate the toxicity of metals, identify potential sources, and determine the health risk associated with their presence in water. Results showed that metals were observed with higher concentration during the wet season than the dry season. The concentrations of Fe (8.646 ± 0.00 mg/L), Mn (2.691 ± 0.01 mg/L) and Cd (0.090 ± 0.41 mg/L) measured in groundwater were significantly higher than those measured in surface water. However, only Cu was observed with higher concentration (0.322 ± 0.06 mg/L) in surface water during the wet season. Furthermore, the degree of contamination (Cd) and the heavy metal pollution index (HPI) were evaluated for both the wet and dry seasons. Results showed that few samples were found in the category of portable drinking water while majority are within the “poor” and “very poor” classes which require proper treatment before consumption. The oral hazard index (HIoral) results showed that none of the samples are suitable for consumption; therefore, cause potential non-carcinogenic health issues to the consumer (HIoral > 1). Moreover, children are more at risk than adults in the study districts (higher HI values in both seasons). This study recommends frequent monitoring of quality of water and also effluent waste treatment by the major source of pollution.

Prevalence of human intestinal helminths in Nnewi South Local Government Area, Anambra State, Nigeria

study on human intestinal helminths was conducted across eight primary schools in Nnewi South LGA, Anambra State. Stool samples were collected from 495 randomly selected pupils and examined using the direct smear technique to determine the prevalence of helminthic infections with predictor variables being regressed against outcome variables. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain biodata from the pupils to assess the association of intestinal helminths with socio-economic variables. The overall percentage of intestinal helminth-infected pupils had no statistical significance (p=0.1294). The probability of the outcome variable occurring rose by approximately 1.18 and 1.15 times for every unit higher in the predictor variable, as indicated by the positive coefficients for S1 and S4 schools (0.164821 and 0.136310). Only Trichuris infection exhibited a negative coefficient (-2.535188) among single infections and was significantly associated (p=0.0249). Ascaris + hookworm and Ascaris + Trichuris infections among the multiple infections revealed negative and positive coefficients (- 9.730077 and 1731.696, respectively), and they were strongly related (p=0.0001 and 0.0000). The number of infected students in (14-18) age range had a positive coefficient (0.020680) and was significantly (p=0.0441) associated with odds ratios of about 1.02, meaning that the odds of the dependent variables increase by about 1.02 times for every unit increase in the independent variable. The proportion of males with the infection displayed positive coefficients (0.980800) and was significantly (p=0.0052) associated with odds ratios of about 2.67, indicating that the likelihood of outcome variables occurring increases by approximately 2.67 times for every unit rise in the predictor variable. Conclusively, the findings observed could be attributed to the poor socio-economic status and poor personal hygiene arising from the lack of basic amenities such as pipe-borne water and other sanitary facilities in the study location. Adequate health education on sanitation, provision of portable drinking water, toilet facilities and mass deworming programmes are highly recommended in the area.

Economic Feasibility of Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water Treatment Plants: A Case Study from Dimbulagala, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

Social wellbeing is strongly linked with economic feasibility when it needs to attain with the technological advancements. Installation of Reverse Osmosis (RO) water treatment plants have been considered as a promising solution to provide clean water for human consumption, especially in the areas where the CKDu (chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology) prevails. At present, over 2,000 RO treatment plants were installed in the dry zone of Sri Lanka, yet economic feasibility for operation and maintenance of RO plants has not been assessed so far. The present study was intended to identify economic feasibility of operation and maintenance of RO plants. Investigations were carried out in six community RO plants which provided drinking water for over 17,000 people which accounts for 20% of total population in Dimbulagala Divisional Secretariat over a period of 12 months. Six in-depth interviews and questionnaire survey were caried out with RO plant operators. The operational cost per production of cubic meter of filtered water was computed by considering electricity consumption bills. The maintenance costs and service charges were also obtained from the records available with RO plant operators. The results found that the average electricity consumption to produce 1 cube of filtered water is approximately 9kWh and cost is LKR 734 (based on 2021 rates). The average water selling price ranged between LKR 1.00-2.50 per liter. The average monthly income generation from one RO plant is approximately between LKR 561- 875 per cube of filtered water and it largely depended on the type of water source, climatic conditions. It was found that the income generated from RO plants was sufficient enough to cover the operation cost (monthly electricity bill) and for the subsequent maintenance and service charges whenever required. It can be concluded that the use of RO treated water is an economically viable option to provide portable drinking water. 
 Keywords: CKDu, Economic sustainability, Drinking water, Purification cost

Sustainable Development Goal-Six (SDG-6) Water and Sanitation, Impact on Nigeria, Assessing the Intersection with Public Health and Globalization: A Systematic Literature Review

Aim and scope: The important developmental encounter in the low-income country such as Nigeria has created challenges to make available and sustain the management of safe water and adequate sanitation for the citizenry. The poor access to portable drinking water, and inadequate sanitation practices poses a huge problems in Nigeria predominantly the public health burden linked with the polluted water and its sources, and poor sanitation practices. In this systematic review, the nature and scale of water availability, contamination and transmission of water borne disease and their intersection with public health in Nigeria were explored. The review further evaluated the effectiveness of global community intervention in addressing the anomalies in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals Six (SDG 6)-water and sanitation, and issues hampering the progress in Nigeria towards the target date of 2030. Methods: I searched through the MEDLINE database to select the research articles associated with water availability, water contamination, water quality, sanitation practices, waterborne disease transmission, water (i.e., WASH-Water Sanitation and Hygiene), public health, portable water and sustainability. An analysis of both observational and interventional studies was undertaken. For each study, content analysis was performed to identify the relevant terms such as portable water availability, WASH, disease transmission, public health related outcomes, and to the keydeductions of the study. Results: Strategic themes arising through the search included that about 66.3 million Nigerians lacks access to safe drinking water with no substantial progress in providing portable water for all in Nigeria. Despites various approach by government and other agencies in ensuring water quality and its safety, waterborne disease remains one of the significant public health challenges. Availability of water and the poor sanitation specifically among the rural dwellers are of great importance, being a vital factor in the spread of waterborne disease. The review revealed the common diseases associated with drinking water, and typhoid with the highest occurrence, others are cholera, dracunculiasi, hepatitis and Filariasi. Awareness, adequate funding, infrastructural development and interventions programme are recommended approach to reduce WASH and public health outcomes. Conclusions: Significant water unavailability and poor sanitation practicescumulate as public health burdens, presenting solid evidence that shown water unavailability and sanitation intersecting with public health. Hence, addressing portable water availability and environmental sanitation has a potential of reducing public health diseases with significant impact on SDG achievement.

Intestinal helminth and the predisposing factors in Fufore LGA of Adamawa state

Background & Objective: Helminths have plagued humans since the era of our earliest recorded history. A large part of the world's population are infected with one or more of helminthes infection (WHO, 2016). Helminthes are endemic and have been a major problem in rural settlements in Nigeria this is as a result of poor socio- economic status and lack of basic amenities such as pipe borne water and other sanitary facilities (Okon and Okun, 2001). They also have detrimental effects on animal survival (Silva et al., 2009) and these parasites have the potential of being transmitted to human (Batchelor et al., 2008). To provide information on the prevalence, intensity and predisposing factors of intestinal helminth among School-aged children in relation to their age and gender in Fufore. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence of intestinal helminth and the predisposing factors in Fofure LGA of Adamawa State between October and November 2022 where five Schools were sampled for the study. 300 Students between the ages 0-15 years were randomly selected and grouped into three age groups (0-5, 6-10, 11-15). 300 stool samples were obtained from the students and examined. Each were issued a structured questionnaire so as to obtain their demographic characteristics and to examine the possible risk factors associated with this infection. Result: out of the 300 Students examined, 17(5.7%) were positive for intestinal helminth and the Males (6.7%) had significantly higher prevalence (P < 0.05) than the Females (4.4%). In respect to age, the age group 0-5 (11.5%) were significantly more infected (P < 0.05) followed by the age group 6-10 (7.9%) than the extreme age group 11-15 (1.5%) examined. Three parasites namely Schistosoma mansoni, Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichiuris trichiura were recovered. The most common of these parasites were Schistosoma mansoni and Ascaris lumbricoides which occurred in high intensity in most of the positive samples. Interpretation and Conclusion: The result of this study revealed that, poverty, ignorance, socio-cultural practice, poor hygienic practices, inadequate sanitary/ toiletry facility to be the driving forces of this infection in the study area. Intervention needed to curtail the effect and further transmission of this infection include; massive treating and health education, provision of portable drinking water and provision of good sanitary/ toilet facility.

Assessment of the factors shaping the public’s perception of physical and virtual water: A case study of Korean households

Water demand management is a crucial approach for ensuring sustainable water supply. To ensure an effective water demand management, it is essential to have a good understanding of public perceptions of water use. In this study, we examined the perceptions of water use and virtual water of Daegu inhabitants in South Korea, with a focus on understanding their sociodemographic characteristics, water-saving behaviors, environmental attitudes, and accuracy in estimating water use and virtual water content. The results indicated that the majority of respondents were aware of the need for water conservation but exhibited only moderate engagement in water-saving behaviors. They consistently underestimated their water use across various activities (portable drinking water, shower, toilet flush, laundry and car wash), indicating a lack of understanding regarding the magnitude of water consumption. Similarly, respondents had limited awareness of the virtual water content in different products, with inaccurate perceptions of water-intensive products. Sociodemographic factors such as gender, education level, annual income, and family size significantly influenced perceptions of water use, while environmental attitudes played a significant role in the perceptions of both water use and virtual water content. The study highlights the need for educational initiatives to enhance public awareness and understanding of water use and virtual water, particularly in addressing misconceptions and promoting sustainable water management practices. While the findings are specific to Daegu city, they provide insights that can inform water management strategies in other cities globally.

Factors Affecting Biofilms Formation in Drinking Water Distribution Systems

This article discusses the importance of microbiological safety in drinking water and the challenges drinking water treatment plants face in delivering a safe product. Biofilms, thin layers of microorganisms that adhere to surfaces and produce a slimy matrix of extracellular polymeric substances, can potentially cause health risks in drinking water if they contain harmful microorganisms. The article highlights the need for proper maintenance of the drinking water distribution system and regular testing for the presence of harmful microorganisms and other contaminants to minimize the risk of illness from biofilms. The study focuses on insufficient research on biofilms in drinking water distribution systems in Sulaimani City. It provides new and relevant information on the public health problems associated with their presence and describes current and emergent strategies for their control. The microbiological and Physio Chemical experiments were conducted on water samples from various water drinking sources in Sulaimani City to evaluate contamination of portable drinking water. Then, Most Probable Number (MPN) and Membrane Filtration methods were applied to collected water samples for the determination and presence of coliform bacteria in water. Moreover, Swab biofilm was employed within a different agar and distributed by an L shape. After that, 13 different physio-chemical tests were conducted on the previous experiments. Enterobacteriaceae had a moderately negative correlation (-0.764) with temperature and was statistically significant (Sig. = 0.000). Moreover, it was moderately positively correlated (0.416) with Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and statistically significant (Sig. = 0.038).

Assessment of heavy metal concentrations in water and sediments at Motor Park and new bridge areas, lower River Benue, Ibi, Taraba, Nigeria

Heavy metals concentration in water and sediment was investigated at the Motor Park Area and New Bridge Site of lower River Benue, Ibi, Taraba State. The heavy metals levels were examined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) Buck Scientific model 210 VGP using spectrophotometry techniques. The highest mean concentration of Zn recorded in the sediment at the Motor Park Area was 0.55 mg/kg while the lowest value of 0.004 mg/kg was recorded for Cr at the Motor Park Area. The highest mean concentration of Mn recorded in the water was 0.375 mg/l at New Bridge Site while the lowest value of 0.00 mg/l was recorded for Cu. Values for Cu, Cd, Cr. Cu were generally low throughout the study period. There was no significant difference (p>0.005) in Zn concentrations in sediment at the sampled locations (Motor Park Area and New Bridge Site) throughout the study periods. However, Cr, Cd and Pb show variations (p<0.005) at the sampled locations. The concentration of Mn (0.375 mg/l) was not significantly different (p>0.05) from Mn (0.325 mg/l) in water between the two location, Pb value (0.343 mg/l) of water in December at the New Bridge Site exceeded the WHO recommended safe limit. However, all other metals were within the WHO and FMENV safe limit for portable drinking water. Since Pb value (0.343 mg/l) exceeded the WHO and FMENV safe limit for December. It shows that there is need for continuous monitoring of Lower River Benue waters at Ibi, Taraba State.

A Framework for Formulation of Student Dataset Using Existing and Novel Features for Analysis

One major problem identified with most schools in Nigeria is that they lack structured educational datasets that is composed of several attributes related to each student, such as term-based grades, courses taken, student-specific details, and absences which could be easily analysed. This paper formulates a dataset with some novel features for analysing and predicting student performance. Apart from the current features like age, grade, number of failures etc. some novel features which consists of environmental factors were proposed. Students’ records were collected from schools and surveys on schools’ infrastructure were collected using a questionnaire. The data were analysed using NumPy and Pandas in python. Random forest was used as classifier for making prediction and detecting important features. The following features were found to influence the model decision in making decision; Average, Number of failures, students score in all the subjects, school type, portable drinking water, availability of electricity, textbook to student ratio, and availability of laboratory reagents. Four of the proposed features were among the most important features. In addition, the model was excellent in making prediction. Results of the analysis shows that there are more male than females in the dataset, this means that government, non-governmental organization and the society needs to promote and encourage girl child education.

Haematobium infection and the predisposing factors in Fufore LGA of Adamawa State

Background & Objectives: Schistosomiasis, is a major health problem in the rural areas of developing countries where there is high water contact activities with fresh water bodies, poor hygienic practices and no portal drinking water. It ranks the second after Malaria with socio-economic and public health importance in the tropics and subtropical regions. To provide information on the prevalence and predisposing factors of Haematobium infection among School-aged children in relation to their age and gender in Fufore LGA. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence of urinary Schistosomiasis and the predisposing factors in Fofure LGA of Adamawa State between October and November 2022 where five Schools were sampled for the study. 300 Students between the ages 0-15 years were randomly selected and grouped into three age groups (0-5, 6-10 and 11-15) respectively. Urine samples were obtained from the students and transferred to New Boshang Hospital Medical Laboratory for parasitological examination. Each were also issued a structured questionnaire so as to obtain their demographic characteristics and to determine the possible risk factors associated with this infection in the case of study. Results: Out of the total 300 Students examined, 113(37.7%) were positive for Schistosoma haematobium and the Males (43.9%) had significantly higher prevalence (P < 0.05) than the Females (30.2%). In respect to age, the age group 11-15 (51.5%) were significantly more infected (P < 0.05) than the younger age groups 0-5 (8.2%) and 6-10 (36.6%) examined. Haematobium infection was observed to be higher in children whose parents were irrigation farmers/ fishermen 173(57.7%) than those whose parents are not. Students whose household monthly income is below N30, 000 were more infected. Those that used well 97(32.3) and streams 123(41.0%) as source of drinking water showed high prevalence than those who use borehole. Students whose water contact activities were for farming/ fishing 201(67.7%) were significantly more infected with haematobium infection (P < 0.05) than those without ant water contact activity. Interpretation and Conclusion: From the result of the study, it’s clear that poverty, ignorance, socio-cultural practice, poor hygienic practices, inadequate toiletry facility are some of the predisposing factors associated with this infection in the study area. Intervention by the relevant authorities are needed to curtail the transmission of this infection. These interventions includes; massive health education, provision of portable drinking water and provision of good sanitary/ toilet facility.

The Application of Vertical Electrical Sounding for the Geophysical and Hydrogeological Investigation in University of Benin Area, Nigeria

The occurrence and distribution of groundwater in a sedimentary basin are localized and confined to the weathered sandy layer/zone. The study was carried out with the aim of demonstrating the vertical electrical sounding method of investigation in the exploration of groundwater at the University of Benin, around VC’s lodge. A total of six VES points were probed using the ABEM SAS 300C terrameter which was used to generate field data applying the Schlumberger Array with AB/2 of 1.5 m, 215 m. The results were simulated using IPI2WIN software. The results show an average of four geo-electric layers per VES point; superficial layer, duricrust, clay layer, alluvium, sand layer and the weathered sandy layer. For VES 1-6, the thicknesses of the water table are 11.6 m. 16.6 m, 22.5m, 30.5 m 51.4 m and 27.8 m respectively and the depth to the water table is 124.4 m, 124.6 m, 78.4m, 55.2 m, 38.5 m, and 29.4 m accordingly. Going by the results, VES 1 & 5 ranked the highest water prospect due to the thickness of the water table layer, the depth to the water table and most importantly the weathered/fractured layers with resistivity as high as 15,188 Ω and 76,432 Ω for VES 1 & 5 respectively, which also increases the permeability and storage of the groundwater. VES 2, 3, 4, and 6 are also wet reservoirs but for their shallow thicknesses and depth to the water table which will influence the purity of the water. However, further investigation is needed to ascertain the suitability of the water as portable drinking water by examining the physicochemical and hydrogeological characteristics of the existing Boreholes drilled in the vicinity of the study area. The findings of this study are a reminder of the essence of a geophysical survey prior to drilling exercises and the suitability of electrical resistivity as a tool for aquifer delineation.

INFLUENCE OF URINARY SCHISTOSOMIASIS ON NUTRITIONAL STATUS IN AL-MAJIRI (DISCIPLES) IN KAWO DISTRICT OF KADUNA METROPOLIS, KADUNA STATE-NIGERIA

A study on the influence of urinary schistosomiasis on nutritional status in Al-majiri was carried out to document the status of the disease and their nutritional status in Kawo District of Kaduna metropolis. Urine samples were from taken 360 Al-Majiris and analysed using the sedimentation method. Structured Knowledge, Attitude and Practice questionnaires were used determined age and water contact-related activities were administered and anthropometric measurements were to determine the nutritional status. A prevalence of 44.2% was recorded with mean intensity of 45.32 eggs/10ml of urine. The highest prevalence was recorded in the 10-14 age group while the lowest was recorded in the 20-24 age group. The age and water contact-related prevalence study revealed urinary schistosomiasis is greatly influenced by age and water contact. 30.8% of the respondent perceived Urinary schistosomiasis as a form of yellow fever. Body Mass Index (BMI) revealed that 63.3% of those infected are severely malnourished, BMI indicates a strong relation (P<0.05) between urinary schistosomiasis and malnutrition. It is suggested that in order to prevent urinary schistosomiasis, provision of portable drinking water, prevention of widespread wadding in pod water, adequate personal hygiene, improved nutrition and treatment of an infected persons to lessen the likelihood of water pollution should be encouraged.

Exploration of Aquifer Levels in Abraka, Obiaruku and Umutu Communities in Delta State, Nigeria

The Schlumberger vertical electrical sounding method was used to detect aquifer levels in Abraka, Obiaruku and Umutu communities in Delta State respectively. The study recorded the aquifer level in Obiaruku to be between 26m to 34m. In Abraka the aquifer level lied between 20m to about 30m while in Umutu, it was between 50m to 100m. Borehole data showed that portable drinking water lies between 20m to 100m and could easily be assessed in these areas.

CHEMICAL SPECIATION OF SOME HEAVY METALS AND HUMAN HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT IN WATER AROUND MUNICIPAL DUMPSITES IN JOS, BUKURU AND RAYFIELD, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

The impact of solid waste disposal on water quality is gaining importance worldwide due to seepage of toxic metals through the soil into the groundwater. Urbanization, industrialization and changes in our life styles have compounded the problem of solid waste management in Nigeria. Poor waste management threatens the health of humans and animals, particularly those livingclose to these pollution point sources.The study area covers Jos-Bukuru and environs in North Central Nigeria. This study was aimed at investigating the chemical species present in groundwater as a result of the impact of solid waste dumpsites in the study area and to evaluate the contributions of the dumpsites to the chemical and physicochemical properties of groundwater around the dumps. Five (5) major dumpsites (Bauchi Road Jos, Rukuba Road Jos, Building Materials Market, Rayfield and Bukuru Town) were sampled for this study. Ten water samples from hand dug wells (two from each site) close to the dumpsites and three controls were collected and analysed for chemical composition and further speciation analysis was conducted on the chemical result to assess the various species present in the waters and possible human health related issues. Results show that the mean values of the pH, temperature, EC, TDS, of the water samples all fall within the WHO permissible limits for portable drinking water. Content of trace elements are generally low in the waters but toxic metal species such as Ba+2, Mn+2, Ni+2, Zn+2, Cd+2, and Pb+2 are common to all the water sources. This study shows that different dumpsites have impacted differently on waters in their different environments. There is the need to curtail the excesses of dumping waste in these areas so as not to add to the exiting contents of toxic metal species in the waters.

Analytical Study of TDS and Sulphate Concentration in Ground Water: A Case Study of Vatva Region of Ahmedabad District, Gujarat

Abstract: The most valuable natural resource for human life is groundwater. It is certainly required in all parts of life and wellbeing for energy generation, food production, industrial activities, maintenance of the environment and enhances sustainable development for future generations. Fresh groundwater has become a popular subject in recent years. Water is continuously contaminated in all nations. India is no special case to this marvel. In India, over 80% of the rural population depend on groundwater. People face a barrier in getting safe, portable drinking water since groundwater quality is impacted by public activity and utilities. The frequent monitoring of sources of groundwater and its quality helps to create and develop public awareness of groundwater resources. The area having high contamination of ground water is selected named as Vatva located in Ahmedabad district of Gujarat, due to urbanization and the presence of many chemical refineries and pharmaceutical firms in the vicinity. During the investigation, the most impacted pollutants, such as TDS, Nitrate, Chloride and Sulphate were valuated. QGIS is used to do a spatial distribution study of all of these parameters. Ground water quality index graphs are also generated using the IS 10500: 2012 drinking water quality standard as a reference. Keywords: Ground Water Contamination, Spatial Distribution, QGIS, TDS, Nitrate, Chloride, Sulphate

Assessing the Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infections (IPIs) Among the Children of Geidam Central Primary School Yobe State, Nigeria

Background: : Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) is one of the preventable and avoidable public health problems that affect a significant portion of school-aged children and cause a lot of predominant physical and intellectual health challenges. Despite the significant public health importance attached to IPIs, but they remain neglected and this neglect happens due to the fact that most affected people belonging to the poorest communities who have little political voice and this coupled with the nature of the infection, as IPIs do not cause fearsome outbreaks to call emergency public response.
 Aims: This research aimed at assessing the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) among the children of Geidam Central primary school Yobe state, Nigeria.
 Study Design: A cross-sectional research method was used.
 Place and Duration of Study: Laboratory department, Yobe State Specialist Hospital (YSSH) Geidam, and the study was conducted within 3 months.
 Methodology: A total number of 36 children were randomly collected from primary 1-6 children, and six (6) children were selected from each class. The stool samples were taken to YSSH, Geidam for microscopic examination. The samples were fixed in formalin for 30 minutes and then about 5 grams of the stool were mix thoroughly in the 10% formalin & filtered. The centrifuge was used to read for 2 minutes at 2500 RPM and then discarded the supernatant and leave 1.5 mL of the sediment which eventually formed 4 layers, then 3 layers were decanted carefully and the sediments was left in the test tube and make the smears in saline and iodine wet preparation and then presence of ova or cyst of IPIs were examined under the aid of microscope. The Data were analyzed using SPSS and presented in tables and figures while showing infection’s frequency and percentage.
 Results: Out of the 36 children that were examined for the prevalence of IPIs in Geidam central primary school, 19 (52.65%) children were infected with different sorts of IPIs.The identified IPIs were A. lumbricoides, Hookworm, Giardia, S. stercoralis, T. trichiura, and Enterobius vermicularis (16.63%, 13.86%, 5.54%, 8.31%, 5.54%, and 2.77%). Of the 36 selected children, males maintain a high prevalence of IPIs with a total percentage of 36.11% and females hold a lower prevalence of infection (16.66%). Regarding the age group, the highest prevalence shown in children aged 10-12 years (class 4-6) with prevalence parentage of (33.33%), while their counterparts aged 6-9 years hold a lower prevalence with (19.44%) percentage. Concerning the prevalence according class-, class 1 has 5.5%, class2 has 8.33%, class3 also has 5.55%, in contrast higher prevalence were detected in class 4, class 5 and class6 with percentage of (13.88%,11.11%, and 8.33%), respectively.
 Conclusions: This research study has established that there is a prevalence of IPIs among children of Geidam central primary school. This may have a connection with different potential risk factors such as walking barefoot, poor personal hygiene, inadequate environmental sanitation, lack of portable drinking water, open defection, improper latrine utilization and other several factors.

A GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS OF THE COLLAPSED SACHET WATER FACTORIES IN KANO METROPOLIS, KANO, NIGERIA

Decrease in the supply of portable drinking water across most settlements in Nigeria and the continuous increases in demand for drinking water gave birth to sachet water otherwise called ‘Pure Water”. The study into this industry is imperative, as it provides drinking water to many households in addition to employing many youths, thereby decreasing unemployment and enhancing economic growth. However, it has been observed that many of the factories within the industry collapse barely few years after commencing operation. This research therefore aims to examine the causes of the collapse sachet water factories (CSWFs) in Tarauni, Kumbotso, Dala, Nassarawa, Municipal, Gwale and Ungoggo of Kano Metropolis, Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted. One hundred and sixty-nine (169) samples of CSWFs and their employers were identified, questionnaires were distributed to proprietors. Result of a descriptive statistics has shown that 8 of the 16 challenges have significant impact with ownership structure and government bureaucracy having the largest with 7.58 score. A correlation analysis has suggested that the factors have a mean score of 5.231 and standard deviation of 1.60075. The paper thus recommends provision of industry specific loans for sachet water operators by the Bank of Industry; owners should employ professionals to conduct intensive market survey and develop a realistic business plan, in order to minimize failures; Cooperative organization should be formed by the SWFs, to support their member, in case of difficulties.

Construction of portable drinking water device using an agricultural biomass-derived material of polyethylenimine-grafted-corncob

Corncob has been well known as a low-cost, green and reliable cellulose material but is usually discarded as an agricultural waste without utilization. In this study, the corncob was functionalized with polyethylenimine and then its potentiality for portable water purification is investigated. The portable device containing polyethylenimine-grafted-corncob (PEI-g-OC) particles is used for removing the contaminations of heavy metal ions, bacteria and organic chemicals in water. As found, the device presented high efficiency on removing heavy metal ions of Cu2+, Cd2+ and Pb2+ at concentrations up to 50 mg/L and was able to kill the model bacteria of S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and E. coli at high concentrations up to 106 CFU/ml. Then, the PEI-g-OC portable device is constructed for filtering purification of the two natural water samples from local lakes, which showed a high removal ratio of >99% for heavy metal ions/bacteria and about 90% for chemical oxygen demand (COD). The portable device with 20 g PEI-g-OC is able to provide 300 B.V. (i.e. 15 L) of drinkable water for 3–5 days dairy drinking by one person. Since PEI-g-OC is degradable and does not leach any biocides, it is an environmentally sustainable option for disposable water purification devices.

Risk Factors that contributes to Hookworm Infection among Primary School Pupils in Some Communities of Kaduna State, Nigeria

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence rate and possible risk factors associated with transmission of hookworm infection among primary school children in parts of Kaduna state, Nigeria. Nine hundred (900) faecal samples were collected and analyzed for hookworm infection using the direct wet mount and formol-ether concentration techniques. The data were subjected to chi-square analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 and the significant level (0.05) determined at 95%confidence interval. The overall prevalence of the infection was 5.8%. The prevalence was higher among males 7.0% (32/457) and rainy season 7.1%. Also, the prevalence was highest among children aged 12-13 years 7.2%, whose parents were artisans 7.3%, children who used to defaecate in the bush and those who used well as source of water 5.6%. Statistical analysis showed significant association in the prevalence of hookworm infection with respect to gender (P = 0.03) and age group (P = 0.0013). However, there was no significant association between the prevalence of the infection and parent’s occupation (p=0.21), type of toilet used (p=0.20), children’s source of drinking water (P=0.16) and season (P=0.16). The present study has established that the transmission hookworm is on-going among the school children in the study area. There is need for sustained mass de-worming programme, health education, provision of portable drinking water and toilet facilities in public schools within the study area.