Safe Water Sources Research Articles

Decorated ZrO2 by Au nanoparticles as a potential nanocatalyst for the reduction of organic dyes in water

The continuous development of industrial activities and also changing climate of worldwide lead to increase water pollutants and the eradication of safe water sources. Hence, remediation of wastewater and reduction of water pollutants notably organic dyes have become a serious environmental challenge. Reducing organic pollutants by heterogeneous nanocatalysts can be employed as an efficacious manner to overcome this problem. Accordingly, a nanocomposite catalyst consisting of zirconium oxide or zirconia nanoparticles (ZrO2 NPs) and gold (Au) NPs were made by means of a straightforward and green route. Au NPs were firstly prepared via laser ablation in liquid (LAL) method and then deposited on the ZrO2 NPs with the size of 53–88 nm using the magnetic stirring approach. The characterization methods indicated that the ZrO2-Au nanocomposite was successfully fabricated. The catalytic performance of ZrO2-Au catalyst for the degradation of methylene orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) was investigated.

Candida species contamination in drinking groundwater from residence wells in three municipalities of midwestern Brazil and the potential human health risks

Groundwater represents one of the largest safe drinking water sources worldwide; however, it has been threatened by increased human activities in recent years. Candida species express virulence factors that contribute to the establishment and worsening of infections, although little is known about the virulence profiles of these species in potable groundwater. The aim of this study was to detect the presence of yeasts in groundwater from residential wells and to evaluate the antifungal susceptibility profile, hydrolytic enzyme production, adhesion capacity, and biofilm formation of Candida spp. Fifty yeasts representing nine genera were isolated: Candida (48%), Meyerozyma (20%), Pichia (8%), Exophiala (8%), Clavispora (4%), Kodamaea (4%), Rhodotorula (4%), Hanseniaspora (2%), and Kazachstania (2%). Candida parapsilosis was the most commonly isolated species, and approximately 29% of the Candida isolates were resistant to at least one azole. All Candida isolates were able to produce hydrolytic enzymes and adhere to polystyrene, and most were classified as hydrophobic. Candida spp. can establish and form biofilms when cultivated in different media such as Sabouraud broth, water, and calcium hypochlorite. The use of contaminated groundwater for human consumption represents a possible route for the transmission of clinically relevant yeasts that can cause fungal infections, especially in immunocompromised individuals. Therefore, it is important to evaluate and establish effective measures for groundwater treatment to ensure the quality and safety for consumption.

Characterization of antibiotic resistance genes in drinking water sources of the Douhe Reservoir, Tangshan, northern China: the correlation with bacterial communities and environmental factors

BackgroundAntibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) threaten ecological sustainability and human health, especially the drinking water sources of the Douhe Reservoir, which have critical significance amid their direct use by people and the ecological hub of flora and fauna. Although antibiotics and ARGs pollution in reservoirs have been reported, it is of no practical significance to only study the changes (increase or decrease) of the abundance and diversity of ARGs, and it is more important to explore the mechanisms of the changes affecting ARGs. Thus, the occurrence and prevalence characterizations of the spatial and seasonal of the ARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and bacterial communities were comprehensively studied in present study.Results263 ARG (nine types of ARGs) and 51 MGE subtypes were detected in 56 samples, and the characteristics of the temporal and spatial distribution of ARGs, MGEs and the composition of bacterial communities were significantly different. Moreover, the correlation among the ARGs, bacterial communities, MGEs and environmental factors were defined, and the co-occurrence patterns associated with ARG subtypes, bacterial genera, and MGE subtypes between water and sediment of the Douhe Reservoir were different.ConclusionsIn summary, ARGs were ubiquitous presence in water and sediment of the Douhe Reservoir, and the multidrug, aminoglycoside and macrolide–lincosamide–streptogramin B (MLSB) were main types of ARGs. Bacterial genera and the environmental factors [such as temperature (T), nitrate–nitrogen (NO– 3–N), total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), and total phosphorus (TP)] significantly affected the distribution pattern of ARGs. Overall, this research revealed the spatiotemporal change and transmission mechanisms of ARGs in the typical drinking water sources of reservoirs, which will supply clues to ensure the safety of water sources.

A Resilient and Nature-Based Drinking Water Supply Source for Saline and Arsenic Prone Coastal Aquifers of the Bengal Delta

Salinity causes a hostile environmental impact throughout the year in the coastal region of Bangladesh, and its severity increases day by day. Because of upstream freshwater flow reduction and massive groundwater extraction, salinity has increased substantially over the last three decades. Moreover, arsenic contamination in shallow groundwater makes the groundwater unsuitable for potable use. Consequently, the coastal area suffers from acute storage of safe water supply. Salinity also negatively impacts human activities, livelihood, agricultural production, and the aquatic ecosystem. Though the shallow aquifer contains high salinity and a small amount of Arsenic (As), the very shallow aquifer (within 3m to 8m) contains fresh water in many areas in the rainy season due to the direct recharge of rainwater. However, rainfall recharge varies significantly depending on the geological and hydrogeological settings. Specifically, up to 50% of annual rainfall is stored in shallow aquifers of Quaternary sands through direct infiltration. The research’s principal objective is to identify the safe and sustainable drinking water source in the arsenic and saline-prone coastal region. Groundwater samples were collected from the different locations of the study area during both dry and wet seasons and examined seasonal variations in groundwater table and salinity levels. The chemical analyses and Physico-chemical parameters indicate that the groundwater samples are suitable for drinking. Except for some groundwater samples from the wet season, the salinity of all samples was under the allowable limit for Bangladesh (<2000 µS/cm), and the targeted aquifer was almost arsenic (50 µg/l) free. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis has been made to accomplish the study goals. Particularly, the groundwater’s electrical conductivity (EC) values of most samples were measured within the limit of fresh or brackish water (<2000 μS/cm). Overall, the results indicate the prospect of a very shallow aquifer as a source of freshwater for drinking purposes throughout the year, considering both arsenic and salinity, which effectively solve the freshwater shortage, especially in the saline-arsenic prone area.

A High-Resolution Earth Observations and Machine Learning-Based Approach to Forecast Waterborne Disease Risk in Post-Disaster Settings

Responding to infrastructural damage in the aftermath of natural disasters at a national, regional, and local level poses a significant challenge. Damage to road networks, clean water supply, and sanitation infrastructures, as well as social amenities like schools and hospitals, exacerbates the circumstances. As safe water sources are destroyed or mixed with contaminated water during a disaster, the risk of a waterborne disease outbreak is elevated in those disaster-affected locations. A country such as Haiti, where a large quantity of the population is deprived of safe water and basic sanitation facilities, would suffer more in post-disaster scenarios. Early warning of waterborne diseases like cholera would be of great help for humanitarian aid, and the management of disease outbreak perspectives. The challenging task in disease forecasting is to identify the suitable variables that would better predict a potential outbreak. In this study, we developed five (5) models including a machine learning approach, to identify and determine the impact of the environmental and social variables that play a significant role in post-disaster cholera outbreaks. We implemented the model setup with cholera outbreak data in Haiti after the landfall of Hurricane Matthew in October 2016. Our results demonstrate that adding high-resolution data in combination with appropriate social and environmental variables is helpful for better cholera forecasting in a post-disaster scenario. In addition, using a machine learning approach in combination with existing statistical or mechanistic models provides important insights into the selection of variables and identification of cholera risk hotspots, which can address the shortcomings of existing approaches.

Wastewater reuse for irrigation of produce: A review of research, regulations, and risks

The burden of disease caused by the contamination of ready-to-eat produce with common waterborne microbial pathogens suggests that irrigation supplies should be closely monitored and regulated. Simultaneously freshwater resources have become increasingly scarce worldwide while global demand continues to grow. Since the turn of the 20th century with the advent of modern wastewater treatment plants, the reuse of treated wastewater is considered a safe and viable water source for irrigation of ready-to-eat vegetables. However strict, and often costly, treatment regimens mean that only a fraction of the world's wastewater supplies are being put to reuse. The purpose of this review is to explore the available literature on the risks associated with reuse water for ready-to-eat produce production including different approaches to reducing those risks as the demand for reuse water increases. It is not the intent of the authors to determine which methods of treatment should be applied, which pathogens should be considered of greatest concern, or which regulations should be applied. Rather, it is meant to be a discussion of the evolving guidelines governing irrigation with reuse water, potential risks from known pathogens common to produce production and recommendations for improving the adoption of water reuse moving forward.To date, there is little evidence to suggest that adequately treated reuse water poses more risk for produce-related illness or outbreaks than other sources of irrigation water. However, multiple epidemiological and quantitative risk assessment models suggest that guidelines for the use of reuse water should be regionally specific and based on local growing practices, available technologies for wastewater treatment, and overall population health. Though research suggests water reuse is generally safe, the assumptions of risk are both personal and of public interest, they should be considered carefully before water reuse is either allowed or disallowed in produce production environments.

Solar photo-Fenton at circumneutral pH using Fe(III)-EDDS compared to ozonation for tertiary treatment of urban wastewater: Contaminants of emerging concern removal and toxicity assessment

• Solar photo-Fenton compared to ozonation at pilot plant scale. • Successful CEC removal was achieved (>80%) but less treatment time was required by ozonation. • Acute and Chronic toxicity tests did not provide conclusive results. Solar photo-Fenton (SPF) at circumneutral pH with ethylenediamine-N,N'-disuccinic acid (EDDS) in raceway pond reactor was compared to a well-stablished process (ozonation) in the degradation of five contaminant of emerging concern (CECs, namely Caffeine, Carbamazepine, Diclofenac, Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim) at the initial concentration of 100 μg/L each in urban wastewater treatment plant secondary effluent (UWWE) at pilot scale with natural sunlight. Both were found to be effective in the removal of the target CECs. Ozonation treatment was faster being able to degrade 80% of each CEC in UWWE within the early 15 min (18.0 mgO 3 /L consumed). Acute (using activated sludge, Vibrio fischeri and Daphnia magna) and chronic (using activated sludge at 72 h of sample contact and V. fischeri at 24 h of sample contact) toxicity were also evaluated. Acute toxicity evaluated by activated sludge did not show any toxic effect. V. fischeri gave less sensitive results compared to D. magna tests. Lower toxicity levels for SPF were observed. Highest acute toxicity was observed for D. magna in UWWE treated by ozonation. Relevant chronic toxicity assessed by activated sludge and V. fischeri was observed in almost all analysed samples, despite 80% of the CECs were eliminated. Successful performance of AOPs for CECs removal is not a guarantee of obtaining safe alternative water sources.

Health costs of environmental pollution faced by underground coal miners: Evidence from Balochistan, Pakistan

There is plenty of research on the environmental effects of coal mining. However, the economic valuation of health costs is seldom addressed. To know this, we have estimated health costs faced by miners working in underground coal mines in Balochistan, Pakistan. To compare the cost of illness caused by coal mines' pollution, we took two samples, the control group and the treatment group. The treatment group consisted of 150 underground coal miners working in different mines. The control group consisted of randomly selected farmers, construction workers, and waiters (fifty each). The double-hurdle model was used to estimate the factors affecting miner’ decision to visit doctors in the first tier, while the second tier estimated the costs incurred on the treatment. Results indicate that socioeconomic and demographic variables such as age, education level, age when work started, income or wage rate, frequency of illness, living condition, sources of safe drinking water, and nationality (whether Afghan or Pakistani) of the respondents have significant impacts on the decision of getting treatment, and costs of illness of coal mine workers. Environmental variables, including methane and carbon monoxide, elevate the health cost of coal miners. The cost of illness increases with the narrow size of the coal seam. It is concluded that the coal minerssuffer from different ailments (respiratory diseases, irritation of the body, gastrointestinal problems, musculoskeletal harms, and headache). Their costs of illness are much higher as compared to noncoal workers. Our work addresses coal mining from a cost perspective, which can significantly enhance the pay system by including user fees in the wages. Among the various possible policy interventions, motivational training for miners to use protective measures, improved living environment, provision of nearby health facilities, employing advanced mining methods, and agreeing on a standard procedure correlated to seam size for degasification may be considered critical policy recommendations.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding schistosomiasis infection and prevention: A mixed-methods study among endemic communities of western Uganda.

IntroductionIn Uganda, schistosomiasis (re)infections have continued to remain high despite the implementation of mass drug administration and sensitization campaigns aimed at controlling the disease. This could imply that there are some barriers to the implemented preventive measures. We conducted a mixed-methods study in Kagadi and Ntoroko districts around Lake Albert to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding schistosomiasis and to explore and understand perspectives regarding the disease.Materials and methodsSemi-structured survey questionnaires were administered to 337 household adults selected through systematic random sampling. We also interviewed 12 participants and held 28 focus-group discussion sessions with 251 individuals respectively. Quantitative data was analysed using frequencies, percentages, and chi-square tests for associations, while themes and sub-themes were used to analyse qualitative data respectively.FindingsA total of 98.5%, 81.3%, and 78.5% had heard about schistosomiasis, and knew the main transmission modes and symptoms, respectively. The majority (75.8%) said avoiding contact with water was a preventative way, while 67.5% said observing signs and symptoms was a form of diagnosis. Furthermore, 98.4% and 73.4% said it was important to defecate in latrines and to avoid contact with contaminated water respectively. However, it is difficult to avoid contact with lake water because it is the only source of livelihood, especially for fisher communities. Open defecation is commonly practiced along the lake due to insufficient space and difficulties in the construction of latrines. Myths and misconceptions reported include; lake water is safe, gassing in water causes transmission, fetching water early in the morning and from deep water is safe, and feces in the lake water act as a bait for catching fish.Conclusions and recommendationsDespite adequate knowledge of schistosomiasis and a positive attitude towards its prevention, existing myths and misconceptions, coupled with persistent risky water, sanitation, and hygiene practices still pose a challenge. A more robust community-based awareness intervention using bottom-up participatory approaches, accompanied by the provision of clean and safe water sources and increasing latrine coverage, could provide lasting solutions to these barriers.

Water for Domestic Ducks: The Benefits and Challenges in Commercial Production

Although we have been farming ducks for at least 4,000 years, with some accounts suggesting domestication having begun more than 38,000 years ago, there are still many unknowns for optimizing domestic duck welfare in a commercial setting. Ducks being waterfowl, are semi-aquatic and have unique behavioral needs when compared to other commonly farmed poultry species. Providing ducks with open water which allows for full body immersion so that they may perform their full repertoire of water-related behaviors is important for their health and welfare. However, in a commercial setting this remains challenging due to biosecurity, contamination, health, and management concerns. An important question is therefore how best to provide ducks with a commercially feasible and safe water source in which they can derive maximum welfare and health benefits with no adverse consequences to health or global water resources. This review considers the amount of water provision necessary to satisfy duck's water-related needs to enhance yet not compromise their welfare in a commercial setting based on current knowledge, as well as identifies the outstanding questions for future research to address.

Comprehensive evaluation of the possible impact of roofing materials on the quality of harvested rainwater for human consumption

Water is a vital natural resource that influences life and contributes to domestic and industrial activities. Availability and accessibility of safe water sources are crucial for a country's economic growth. Harvesting of roof runoffs is an alternative source of water used for domestic purposes. However, the quality of harvested rainwater can be affected by roofing materials. This research seeks to assess heavy metals concentration, physicochemical and bacteriological parameters in roof runoffs and estimate the water quality index and health risk these metals pose to consumers. Rainwater samples were collected from Aluzinc, Aluminum, Galvanized, and Asbestos roofing materials within the Ejisu municipality. Rainwater collected directly from the sky was used as control. All runoffs from the four roofing materials recorded Cd, Fe, Cr, turbidity, pH, E.coli, total and fecal coliform levels above WHO limit for drinking water. There was a significant variation in pH, EC, Zn, Cd, Cr, Fe, E. coli, total and fecal coliform levels between control samples and roof runoffs (p < 0.05). The estimated water quality index for runoffs from the four roofing materials exceeded 100 indicating their unsuitability for drinking. Cadmium recorded the highest non-cancer health risk to children and adults in all the roof runoffs. Hazard quotients (HQs) above one were recorded for a child (HQ = 40.1) and an adult (HQ = 13.6) via dermal exposure to Cd in runoff from Aluminum roofing material. Hazard quotient of 9.53 and 4.08 were estimated for a child and an adult respectively via oral exposure to Cd in runoffs from Asbestos roofing material. The estimated cancer risks were above 10−3 for a child and an adult via oral and dermal exposure to Cd in all roof runoffs, suggesting a possible cancer health effect. The study concludes that the four roofing materials impact negatively on the quality of runoffs.

Access to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation Facilities: A Case Study of Lagos Mainland Local Government Area, Lagos, Nigeria

Background: Access to safe drinking water will prevent water borne diseases, disability and death. Clean water and sanitation are crucial to healthy living. Access to good drinking water is indicated by safe water sources. Objectives: The study was conducted to determine access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities amongst residents of Lagos Mainland Local Government Area (LGA), Lagos. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out using mainly interviewer administered questionnaire to 381 participants of not less than 18 years which focused on questions on source of drinking water, sanitation facility and incidence of water borne diseases. Results: Response rate was 94.5%. Majority of the respondents (40%) were between 38-47 years old. Half of the respondents relied on sachet water as source of drinking water while 5% from pipe water in the compound. Majority of the respondents’ households (85%) had access to water within a distance of about 100 metres or less and within 15 minutes or less. About 60% of the household had government piped water into their compound. Majority of the households (80%) had flush toilets while 20% had improved pit latrine. Most of the respondents (80%) were aware that disease can be caused by unsafe drinking water. More than half (55.56%) of the households have not treated water related diseases in the last two months. Conclusion: The surveyed households had close access to safe drinking water. Sachet water was the main source of drinking water. The sanitation facilities in the studied area were adequate for healthy living and good quality of life.

Economic valuation of safe water from new boreholes in rural Zambia: A coping cost approach

Access to safe water sources remains scarce in sub-Saharan African countries. We estimate the economic value of safe water from newly constructed boreholes in rural Zambia. Our quasi-experimental setting allows us to estimate the revealed preference measure of new safe water sources in a causal way, empowered by precise information on water collection and distance to new facilities. We show that the share of time value for water collection in total expenditures was about 10% at the baseline survey, which was reduced to about 3% at the end-line survey, but the difference-in-differences analysis reveals that the project did not reduce the time burden for collecting water due to the greater demand for safe water. The main net benefit of the project lies in improved productivity due to decreased diarrhea incidence among working-age adults. The estimated internal rate of return of the project is not large. However, the project is likely to have additional dynamic health benefits due to the decrease in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), corresponding to 192.3 USD per DALY and 6.88 USD per household.

Novel fluorescence-based method for rapid quantification of live bacteria in river water and treated wastewater.

Monitoring bacteria is essential for ensuring microbial safety of water sources, including river water and treated wastewater. The plate count method is common for monitoring bacterial abundance, although it cannot detect all live bacteria such as viable but non-culturable bacteria, causing underestimation of microbial risks. Live/Dead BacLight kit, involving fluorochromes SYTO 9 and propidium iodide (PI), provides an alternative to assess bacterial viability using flow cytometry or microscopy. However, its application is limited due to the high cost of flow cytometry and the inapplicability of microscopy to most environmental waters. Thus, this study introduces the combination of BacLight kit and fluorescence spectroscopy for quantifying live bacteria in river water and treated wastewater. Mixtures of live and dead Escherichia coli (E. coli) with various ratios and total cell concentrations were stained with SYTO 9 and PI and measured by fluorescence spectroscopy. The fluorescence emission peak area of SYTO 9 in the range of 500-510 nm at the excitation wavelength of 470 nm correlates linearly with the viable cell counts (R 2 > 0.99, p < 0.0001) with only slight variations in the complex water matrix. The tested method can quantify the live E. coli from 3.67 × 104 to 2.70 × 107 cells per mL. This method is simple, sensitive and reliable for quantifying live bacteria in environmental water, which can be later integrated into real-time monitoring systems.

Геоэкологические аспекты углепородной добычи в Донбассе

Donets Coal Basin (the Donbass Coalfield) with its multi-million population is a concentration of all kinds of industries. These include iron and steel industry, machine-tool manufacture, mining production, byproduct coke industry, and also agriculture. Above all others it is coal-mining industry which coming of age and subsequent development is invariably connected with the evolutionary existence of this region. Coal mining, like any production, has its own negative aspects that adversely affect ecology of the region. The article overviews a number of essential geoecological aspects related to deep coal mining and shale gas production in Donets Basin which, taken as a whole and in isolation from one another, deform ground surface and surface buildings, flood the near-surface area, affect underground water inflow, dewater surface watercourses, increase background radiation, etc. The vast majority of harmful geoecological impacts are accounted for by legal operating coal mines and illegal ones – the so-called kopanki. Primarily just mines deform and kopanki sometimes distort surface landscape, creating at the same time a hazard to the safety of surface buildings. Faulty operation and the same kind abandonment of such industries lead to an increase in inflow of aggressive groundwater, pollution of safe drinking water sources, drying of surface watercourses that only worsen the environmental geology of the region. A catastrophe waiting to happen in the region is the so-called old mine workings abandoned at coal seam outcrops since early days through present of coal industry. They are hazardous due to their sinkhole collapse and deformation unpredictability for ground surface areas that fall within their affected zone. The more so because at most mining plans of old mines have not been preserved. Just as either there are no plans or they are completely lack for operating illegally private shallow mines, including kopanki. The planned shale gas production in Donets Coal Basin to be commenced since that year will significantly put a strain on environmental geology of the region with far-reaching negative consequences.

Performance of machine learning methods in predicting water quality index based on irregular data set: application on Illizi region (Algerian southeast)

Groundwater quality appraisal is one of the most crucial tasks to ensure safe drinking water sources. Concurrently, a water quality index (WQI) requires some water quality parameters. Conventionally, WQI computation consumes time and is often found with various errors during subindex calculation. To this end, 8 artificial intelligence algorithms, e.g., multilinear regression (MLR), random forest (RF), M5P tree (M5P), random subspace (RSS), additive regression (AR), artificial neural network (ANN), support vector regression (SVR), and locally weighted linear regression (LWLR), were employed to generate WQI prediction in Illizi region, southeast Algeria. Using the best subset regression, 12 different input combinations were developed and the strategy of work was based on two scenarios. The first scenario aims to reduce the time consumption in WQI computation, where all parameters were used as inputs. The second scenario intends to show the water quality variation in the critical cases when the necessary analyses are unavailable, whereas all inputs were reduced based on sensitivity analysis. The models were appraised using several statistical metrics including correlation coefficient (R), mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), relative absolute error (RAE), and root relative square error (RRSE). The results reveal that TDS and TH are the key drivers influencing WQI in the study area. The comparison of performance evaluation metric shows that the MLR model has the higher accuracy compared to other models in the first scenario in terms of 1, 1.4572*10–08, 2.1418*10–08, 1.2573*10–10%, and 3.1708*10–08% for R, MAE, RMSE, RAE, and RRSE, respectively. The second scenario was executed with less error rate by using the RF model with 0.9984, 1.9942, 3.2488, 4.693, and 5.9642 for R, MAE, RMSE, RAE, and RRSE, respectively. The outcomes of this paper would be of interest to water planners in terms of WQI for improving sustainable management plans of groundwater resources.

ASSESSMENT OF PUBLIC SAFE GROUNDWATER SOURCES IN BAUCHI STATE NIGERIA: A BASELINE STATUS FOR MONITORING PROGRESS TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 6

The performance status of access to safe water sources in a community is determined by the percentage of the population using domestic water sources that meet international standards. Nigeria achieved a total of about 67% of the population with access to safe water sources by 2015 at the end of the period of the Millennium Development Goals. Ensuring universal access to safe and affordable drinking water for all requires investment inadequate infrastructure, this requirement led to the investigation of facilities currently available in Bauchi State of Nigeria. A baseline survey was conducted in the State towards monitoring progress on development goals, the baseline survey covered safe water sources and health facilities in State. It was found that Dambam Local Government Area recorded the highest access of 60.6% of the population with access to safe water sources, 33.33% of the population in Bauchi Local Government Area has access to public safe water sources while the lowest access recorded 5.26% in Toro Local Government Area. The functionality status of installed safe water sources in the State is currently low; Bauchi Local Government Area recorded a functionality status of 46% for the public motorized schemes and 66% functionality status for the handpump equipped boreholes. It was recommended that in working towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal number 6, massive repair and rehabilitation exercise is required to be carried out on non-functional water supply sources in the State to improve the access to safe water sources.

Water, sanitation, and hygiene in healthcare centres: appraisal in a pandemic

Abstract Assessment of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities in Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) and water source quality in parts of Southwestern Nigeria was conducted. Sixty-one PHCs in urban and rural areas were selected using a stratified random sampling technique. A WASH profile of the PHCs was conducted based on the water source type, type of toilet facilities, and handwashing practice using the Joint Monitoring Programme service ladder for monitoring WASH services in healthcare facilities. Water sources were tested for pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, turbidity, chloride, nitrate, and E. coli. Boreholes and hand-dug wells are the most prevalent water source type, and flush toilets and pit latrines are the major types of toilet facilities used. All but two PHCs engaged in handwashing practices. Water quality analysis results showed that chloride, nitrate, and turbidity were within the WHO drinking-water standards. Poor water quality and sanitation practices could expose health staff and patients to healthcare-associated infections. The study recommends the construction of safe, secure and accessible water sources and toilet facilities, provision of water treatment facilities, and the training of staff and patients on the significance of handwashing practices.

Variation of Groundwater and Rainwater Quality in a Nigerian Leper Colony

Adequate supply of potable water is a major challenge in most leper colony with emphasis often placed on water needs of “normal” people but little concern on the safe water source for the physically challenged and vulnerable lepers with limited mobility who cannot search for other sources of water outside designated colony. This study was designed to investigate the quality of water sources within a Nigerian leper colony. Periodic characterization of groundwater and rainwater samples was conducted using American Public Health Association (APHA) methods to determine physico-chemical parameters; appearance, odour, colour, taste, chloride, pH, sulphate, copper, zinc, iron, nitrate and bacteriological parameters; coliform organism and Escherichia coli (E-coli) against the world health organization (WHO) drinking water standard. Water samples were clear and odourless. Most of the parameters tested from both sources; groundwater and rainwater were within the recommended standard. Results from short term water quality parameters taken from 2010-2012 were relatively within the same range while the long-term decadal water quality parameters showed slight variation compared to the short term. Heavy metals showed remarkable variation in 2019 while bacteriological parameters from both water sources were above the permissible threshold. For potable use, water sources require adequate treatment. Boiling or disinfection is recommended until water samples have been retested to ascertain that contamination has been eliminated. In addition, home water-treatment through the use of filters, solar disinfection, or flocculants should be provided to make the water safe.

Uji Bakteri Coliform dan (&lt;i&gt;Escherichia coli&lt;/i&gt;) pada Air Tercemar Dengan Penggunaan Susunan Filter

Clean water is a serious problem in Indonesia, the availability of clean water has shrunk drastically due to deteriorating environment and pollution. Drinking water that meets safety standards is increasingly scarce. More than 100 million people need safe water sources. Filter media is able to remove chemicals in water such as turbid, odor, oily, yellowish, rusty and muddy making it unfit for consumption. In addition, the purpose of the clarification results must also be considered whether to drink household needs or other needs. This study uses Lauryl Tryptose Broth (LTB) media and petrifilm media. Petrifilm results show that it is very easy to count the bacteria Colifrom and Escerichia coli using petrifilm media. From the analysis of calculations using the Paired Samples T-Test on the sample before filtering and after filtering it was obtained the Tcount value of 2.28 with a P value 0.015 which showed very successful or significant results between the samples before and after the filter. In this analysis have normally distributed data with a significant value of P = 0.015 (&lt;0.05). In this case the Paired Samples T-Test was tested for normality (Shapiro-Wilk) and the results were obtained in the form of a P value of &lt;.001 which would indicate that the data was normally distributed, indicated by a P value &lt;0.05. The filter on this filter is very useful for filtering on Escerichia coli bacteria because this filter removes the bacteria, but Colifrom bacteria can still escape the use of the filter, because it depends on environmental conditions. Colifrom and Escerichia coli bacteria occur is seen from the relationship between sources of pollution such as, for example, such as septic tanks, distance of wells with waste, trash, and livestock pollution. The quality of drinking water is very close to the presence of Colifrom and Escerichia coli bacteria which are likely to have pathogenic bacteria that are harmful to health in the quality of well water. Water samples to be observed using well water using 2 treatments as many as 12 repetitions. Thus the total sample obtained as many as 24 water samples will be observed. While the test making of Lauryl Triptose Broth medium was observed by incubating 48 hours at 35oC + gas. Before making the test tube medium must be sterilized first. Subsequent tests were observed with a petrifilm medium to determine the presence or absence of Colifrom and Escherichia coli bacteria by looking at the color of the battery being sought.&#x0D; Keywords: Drinking Water, Coliform Bacteria and Escherichia coli&#x0D; &#x0D;