Private Water Research Articles

Assessing the risk of acute gastrointestinal illness attributable to three enteric pathogens from contaminated private water wells in Ontario.

The province of Ontario compromises the largest groundwater reliant population in Canada serving approximately 1.6 million individuals. Unlike municipal water systems, private well water is not required to meet water quality regulatory standards and thus source maintenance, treatment and testing remains the responsibility of the well owner. Infections associated with private drinking water systems are rarely documented given their typically sporadic nature, thus the human health effects (e.g., acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI)) on consumers remains relatively unknown, representing a significant gap in water safety management. The current study sought to quantify the risk of waterborne AGI attributed to Giardia, shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) and norovirus from private drinking water sources in Ontario using Monte Carlo simulation-based quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA). Findings suggest that consumption of contaminated private well water in Ontario is responsible for approximately 4823 AGI cases annually, with 3464 (71.8%) and 1359 (28.1%) AGI cases predicted to occur in consolidated and unconsolidated aquifers, respectively. By pathogen, waterborne AGI was attributed to norovirus (62%; 2991/4823), Giardia (24.6%; 1186/4823) and STEC (13.4%; 646/4823). The developed QMRA framework was used to assess the potential health impacts of partial and total well water treatment system failure. In the unlikely event of total treatment failure, total mean annual illnesses are predicted to almost double (4217 to 7064 cases per year), highlighting the importance of effective water treatment and comprehensive testing programs in reducing infectious health risks attributable to private well water in Ontario. Study findings indicate significant underreporting of waterborne AGI rates at the provincial level likely biasing public health interventions and programs that are effective in monitoring and minimizing the health risk associated with private well water.

Making Informal Water Distribution Work: Collective Agency and Self-Organization in Informal Areas of Xochimilco, Mexico City

Global environmental change can disproportionately impact vulnerable populations in informal settlements already struggling with diminished access to resources, conditions of poverty, and other inequalities. Simultaneously, climate variability is projected to increase global water scarcity and make “formal access” to water (i.e., through gray infrastructure sponsored by a centralized government) not only politically unlikely but also physically unfeasible. Cities will need alternative ways of delivering water to informal settlements that are reliable, sufficient, affordable, environmentally efficient, and fair. Using data from two informal settlements in the Xochimilco Municipality (Mexico City), we explore current informal arrangements for water access and delivery, and what roles are played by governments, water truck drivers, and residents. We found that self-organization through collective agency and community leadership were key for effective water delivery through private or public water trucks (<em>pipas</em>). One community showed stable leadership and strong collective agency, resulting in more “efficient” public water delivery and low levels of consumption of water from private sellers. In the other community, collective agency was hindered by lack of clear leadership and self-organization, causing residents to resort to individual action (i.e., buying more private water) rather than collectively organizing to gain sufficient public access to water. Our findings suggest that collective agency enables a positive feedback loop between water truck drivers and residents which allows efficient distribution with minimum public investment from the municipality. We argue that the explicit acknowledgement of the role of collective agency and its adequate compensation to create new agreements would create opportunities for more sustainable alternatives of water delivery in communities trapped in informal regimes of water distribution.

PRIVATISASI AIR BERSIH DALAM PERSPEKTIF EKONOMI ISLAM

This research is motivated by the idea that water is God's creation to meet the needs of human life in the world, therefore the use of water must be based on a sense of responsibility and fully for the welfare of mankind. government policy regarding the right to cultivate water can be said to be not simple with the mandate of article 33 of the 1945 Constitution. The enactment of law number 7 of 2004 concerning water resources was followed by the issuance of a number of regional regulations (perda) related to the right to cultivate water contributed greatly to the clean water crisis. By using field research with an economic and pragmatic approach as well as an approach that is oriented towards Islamic economic values, with a normative juridical approach and an economic approach by examining law and Law No. 7 of 2004.Privatization of water is an attempt to commercially own water resources which eliminates government intervention and the function of social security, on the basis of which Islamic economics through the concept of ownership regulates that water is not an object that is perfectly owned, because there the ownership rights of everyone are attached without exception, Water resources are included in public ownership, with restrictions on the ownership of clean water, the utility of water is an oppression of human rights over water resources because it is contrary to Islamic values.

Drinking Water From Private Wells and Risks to Children.

Drinking water for >23 million US households is obtained from private wells. These wells can become contaminated by chemicals, naturally occurring toxic substances, or pathogenic organisms that can cause illness in children. Although the US Environmental Protection Agency and most states offer some guidance for the construction, maintenance, and testing of private wells, most states only regulate the construction of new private water wells. With few exceptions, well owners are responsible for their own wells after the initial construction. Children may also drink well water at childcare or when traveling. This policy statement provides recommendations for the inspection, testing, and remediation of private wells to provide safe drinking water for children.

Drinking Water From Private Wells and Risks to Children.

Drinking water for approximately 23 million US households is obtained from private wells. These wells can become contaminated by pollutant chemicals or pathogenic organisms, leading to significant illness. Although the US Environmental Protection Agency and all states offer guidance for construction, maintenance, and testing of private wells, most states only regulate the construction of new private water wells. With a few exceptions, there is little regulation after construction. Well owners are responsible for their own wells. Children may also drink well water at child care or when traveling. Illness resulting from children's ingestion of contaminated water can be severe. This report reviews relevant aspects of groundwater and wells; describes the common chemical and microbiologic contaminants; gives an algorithm with recommendations for inspection, testing, and remediation for wells providing drinking water for children; and provides references and Internet resources for more information.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Point-of-Entry UV Treatment for Cistern Water among Households in the US Virgin Islands

UV water treatment can be a viable option for point-of-entry applications among households utilizing contaminated private water sources, including roof-harvested rainwater. However, limited data is available on UV system effectiveness and costs. Therefore, Love City Strong, an NGO in the US Virgin Islands, piloted a UV access program which included free UV systems with prefiltration along with installation and monthly household visits for up to 12 months, including water quality testing. In addition, a pilot study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of UV systems without prefiltration. Results from the UV access program demonstrated that E. coli was not detected in 95.1% of tap or spigot samples (n = 268). Among water quality parameters, household characteristics, and premise plumbing dynamics, no factor was significantly higher among samples with detections of E. coli or total coliforms. Among all samples from the pilot study of UV systems without prefiltration, no E. coli was detected (N = 24). Finally, there was a wide range of costs─first year and annual─when comparing different types and configurations of UV systems. Given these data, UV systems may be a viable option for generating potable water; however, clear purchasing and operational guidelines are important to reduce user error.

Small-scale Farmers Experience on the Impact of Water Scarcity and Coping Strategies in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Several provinces and communities in South Africa are severely affected by water scarcity. However, few empirical studies have been conducted on the effects of water scarcity on small-scale farmers and the coping strategies they employ. Sufficient empirical data regarding water scarcity and coping strategies will assist communities and the government in device proactive measures that can assist to minimise future catastrophes linked to hunger and food insecurity. Thus, this article examines the impact of water scarcity on small-scale farming in Marhewini and Megacom, in the Libode district of Eastern Cape, South Africa, as well as the farmers' coping strategies. A qualitative research methodology was selected for the study as it examines participants’ subjective opinions on the impact of water scarcity and their coping practices. Semi-structured interviews and observations were used as data collection tools. Participants of the study were small-scale farmers who reside in the two selected communities. Some of the key findings of the study indicate that both Marhewini and Megacom face problems such as delays in crop growth, loss of crops, loss of interest in agriculture, and associated health risks. The findings also indicate that small-scale farmers have employed various coping strategies, such as surrounding plants with grass and watering the area to sustain the little water (mulching), purchasing water from private water suppliers, and reuse of water. Based on the results obtained, valuable recommendations were made, such as establishing associations for farmers to share their experiences, relying on indigenous knowledge practices, and locating a provider to provide them with accessible water.

Revealing the sources of arsenic in private well water using Random Forest Classification and Regression.

Exposure to arsenic through private drinking water wells causes serious human health risks throughout the globe. Water testing data indicates there is arsenic contamination in private drinking water wells across New Jersey. To reduce the adverse health risk due to exposure to arsenic in drinking water, it is necessary to identify arsenic sources affecting private wells. Private wells are not regulated by any federal or state agencies through the Safe Drinking Water Act and therefore information is often lacking. To this end, we have developed machine learning algorithms including Random Forest Classification and Regression to decipher the factors contributing to higher arsenic concentration in private drinking water wells in west-central New Jersey. Arsenic concentration in private drinking water wells served as a response variable while explanatory variables were geological bedrock type, soil type, drainage class, land use/cover, and presence of orchards, contaminated sites, and abandoned mines within the 152.4-meter (500 ft) radius of each well. Random Forest Classification and Regression achieved 66 % and 55 % prediction accuracies for arsenic concentration in private drinking water wells, respectively. Overall, both models identify that bedrock, soil, land use/cover, and drainage type (in descending order) are the most important variables contributing to higher arsenic concentration in well water. These models further identify bedrock subgroups at a finer scale including Passaic Formation, Lockatong Formation, Stockton Formation contributing significantly to arsenic concentration in well water. Identification of sources of arsenic contamination in private drinking water wells at such a fine scale facilitates development of more targeted outreach as well as mitigation strategies to improve water quality and safeguard human health.

Deliberative public engagement in Ghana: consultation processes and outcomes during the privatisation of water

Deliberative public engagement in Ghana: consultation processes and outcomes during the privatisation of water

A Spatial Network Analysis of Water Distribution from Public Fountains in Pompeii

The transport of water from street fountains into living spaces was tedious but essential labor that impacted the health and social integration of subelite populations, yet it remains understudied in work on Pompeii’s public water system. This article uses spatial network analysis to demographically model public fountain use at a unit-level scale. Dynamic neighborhoods are identified using least-cost routes between every external door and fountain in the city. Maximum and minimum ranges of labor and water accessibility are quantified by total daily time and energy fetching water per household, aggregate pedestrian traffic to fountains, and fountain crowding or underuse. Data are contextualized within disruptions to the water system from seismic events in the city’s final decades, the contributions of cistern and private water lines to daily needs, and comparative and primary textual evidence for the socioeconomic status and well-being of water fetchers. The results expose disproportionate inequality at the system’s peripheries, although most residents enjoyed good water access. Moreover, they reconstruct the scale of labor of marginalized sectors of Roman society that is underrepresented in textual and artistic sources, offering quantifiable comparanda for further studies on water accessibility in antiquity.1

Integral but illegal

The path forward requires an improved understanding of informal markets to to regulate or intervene, as well as opportunities to integrate small-scale private water service providers as an off-grid component of the water supply system.

Water Crisis Solutions In The Qur'an And Science

Water is an essential need for human life and all living things. The community's high demand for water cannot be met because the water crisis is still happening today. A water crisis can be in terms of quantity and quality. This research aims to find the solutions in the Qur'anic and scientific perspective to solve the problem of water quantity and quality crisis in the Qur'anic perspective. This research uses thematic interpretation method (maudhû'î) with scientific interpretation approach. This research concludes water crisis solutions in terms of quantity and quality. The water quantity crisis solutions are divided into two major points. First, optimization of water management (Q.S. al-Ra'd/13: 17) which can be done through saving water (Q.S. al-Isrâ`/17: 26-27, Q.S. al-A'râf/7: 31) and making waterways or drainage (Q.S. Hûd/11: 44). Second, even water distribution (Q.S. al-Qamar/54: 28, Q.S. al-Baqarah/2: 60. Q.S. al-A'râf/7: 160) through the creation of water distribution reservoirs (Q.S. al-Zumar/39: 21) and prohibition of water privatization (Q.S. al-Hijr/15: 22). Meanwhile, the water quality crisis solutions are implied in the Qur'an and supported by scientific theory in five respects. First, reforestation (Q.S. al-An'âm/6: 99 and 141, Q.S. al Ra'd/13: 4, and Q.S. al-Nahl/16: 10-11). Second, watersheds conservation (Q.S. Hûd/11: 61). Third, controlling water pollution (Q.S. al-Ghâsyiyah/88: 12). Fourth, making biopore infiltration holes (Q.S. al-Rûm/30: 41, Q.S. Hûd/11: 37). Fifth, making rainwater harvesting (Q.S. al-Mu'minûn/23: 18).

Geontopower as a feminist analytic: an interdisciplinary triangulation of women, water and feminist politics in India

In this article, I theorise the presence of a contemporary Indian and feminist subaltern consciousness that counters infrastructural striations of female subjecthood. Subaltern Studies scholar Partha Chatterjee notes that India's decentralised distribution of natural resources resulted in a politics of governmentality that slowly erased the twentieth-century Indian peasantry's insurgent consciousness. Chatterjee's observation suggests the need to unpack infrastructural-environmental-ontological constellations in rural India to assess their impact on subaltern agency and politics. I examine the biopolitical indices of this constellation using case studies of gender participatory water management initiatives to assess the impact of water privatisation on rural Hindu women's relationship to water infrastructure. During this discussion, the shortcomings of biopower as a parameterisation of subaltern oppression become highlighted and Elizabeth Povinelli's concept of geontopower is offered as a new materialist analytic through which to better clarify women's conditions under neoliberal water infrastructures and resist the latters' regimes.. Ultimately, I offer geontopower as a conceptual tool to argue that a form of contemporary subaltern insurgent consciousness is still present in India. The latter half of this article explores performative constructions of this insurgent consciousness through literary drama. I read Dalit playwright Vinodini's street play Daaham (2002) as a work that points to insurgent consciousness through the material confluences of water, the human body and the affective infrastructure of local wells.

A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF EVOLUTION OF THE IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE SECTOR IN MOROCCO

Purpose and aim of the study: The paper aim is to analyse scientific and other relevant literature on the sustainable development of the irrigated agricultural sector in Morocco.Design / Methodology / Approach: The method of data collection is literature review. Literature review was chosen as it is the basis for further research. The obtained data is presented in accordance with the identified historical periods. A summary of results is delivered.Main Findings: In light of scarce water resources, the technical, legal and institutional levels in the agricultural sector are permanently updated by the public authorities in order to mitigate the impact of climate change and adapt the management of water resources.Originality: Sustainability is regarded as gradual and sequential growth and development. Sustainability means the consideration of all the stakeholders’ interests in the decision-making process.Implications: Concerted efforts of the public authorities, companies and other stakeholders in the improvement of the efficiency of water use in agriculture through the development of localized irrigation technology and modernization of collective or private water supply networks in large irrigated areas would be beneficial for all. Innovative irrigation systems that allow the exploitation of unconventional, largely unused water resources must be developed. Low cost solutions with natural and locally available materials (Low Technology, Low Energy, Low cost, Easy to Use) should be used.

Contested Infrastructures: Water, Privatization, and Place-Based Protest in Greater Buenos Aires

Activists opposing urban water privatization often continue organizing even after water infrastructure returns to the public sector. Why? Analyzing water privatization and renationalization in Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina, I argue that as these policy changes unfolded, activists from neighborhoods lacking necessary infrastructure organized not only about privatization but also around place. Place-based mobilization emerged from a longstanding lack of services as well as environmental threats like flooding and pollution affecting residents’ daily lives. While privatization activated collective action, amplified by a broader economic crisis and protest cycle, it was organizing grounded in local environmental conditions and associational spaces that sustained it. The analysis, based on historical and interview data, reveals continuities and disjunctures between neoliberal and state-led modes of social provision, showing how place makes large-scale policy changes tangible and shapes patterns of collective action in a major South American metropolitan area.

Issues on Water Privatization Under New Regulation: Evidence in Indonesia

Water plays a vital role in every human life, so the availability and sustainability of water resources need to be carefully regulated. This article attempts to analyse water governance in Indonesia under the new water resources regulation, mainly the issue of water privatization. This article is classified as normative legal research. This article shows that even though the State gives the water privatization licence to the private sector as the last priority, it seems that the Indonesian people will still encounter the same problem in the coming year. This article argues that the issue of distribution of water justice, water access, and violations of the water right related to water utilization on a large scale are challenges for the Indonesian government to resolve.

Regulatory-driven risk assessment to improve drinking-water quality: A case study of private water supplies in England and Wales

Owing to the managerial and regulatory setup of Private Water Supplies (PWS) in England and Wales, the attention and resource required to achieve ‘wholesome’ drinking-water, a regulatory term reflecting quality standards, is often limited. The requirement to risk assess PWS was first included in the English and Welsh Regulations in 2009 and 2010 respectively. However, compliance rates with risk assessment requirements remain low with concerns raised regarding the lack of subsequent action. Using a mixed methods approach of interviews and surveys, this research seeks to: (i) identify available data sources for the completion of risk assessments by Local Authorities; (ii) understand factors which facilitate or hinder decisions made and action taken based on risk assessments; (iii) investigate the influence of the regulatory environment on (i) and (ii); and (iv) pose suggestions for more efficient data use to help improve the drinking-water quality of PWS in England and Wales. Findings highlight gaps in the legislation which impact the national level understanding of PWS drinking-water quality and subsequently impact national level prioritization and resource allocation. The assigned stakeholders responsible for risk assessment are reviewed and discussed. Recommendations include the development of an environmental health database to support institutional data sharing; a greater recognition of the differing resource type and enforcement strategies required to undertake risk assessment, in comparison to water quality sampling alone; introduction of Sanitary Inspection forms to PWS operators and financial support structures to facilitate remedial action. Methods which may support reduced sampling data, such as hydrogeological modeling, are discussed.

The tension between state ownership and private quasi‐property rights in water

AbstractA critical legal issue in water governance is who owns and who holds property rights in water. Hence, we address the question: How has the state of legal knowledge on private property rights in water evolved worldwide, and how are these rights embedded in the current existing legal constructions? In answering the question, this article reviews the legal literature to: (i) understand the current state of water ownership and water property rights in the main legal systems, (ii) understand and capture how private water “property” rights are embedded in the existing legal constructions; and (iii) reflect on the application of these rights in practice. We conclude: (a) While most states have placed water in the public domain, past statutory systems of water rights are difficult to abolish, and increasingly Indigenous peoples are successfully demanding recognition of, and reclaiming their water rights. (b) States are (re)allocating water rights through statutory mechanisms, including clearly defined bundle‐of‐rights. And (c), while the state ostensibly controls the water, the allocation of water through historic and new statutory instruments “encroaches” on state water ownership, and has created confusion affecting the state's power to adaptively govern the water. This confusion reflects the tension between the need of states to own and govern water in the public interest, the rights of Indigenous peoples to their water, with the need of agriculture and industries to have reliable supplies of water, leading to water use rights that imply “quasi‐property” rights in water.This article is categorized under: Human Water &gt; Water Governance Human Water &gt; Rights to Water

The private sector and water services: a reflection

The private sector and water services: a reflection

Molecular Analysis of Mineral and Tap Water to Detect Microbial Contaminants in Jeddah Province

Since ancient times, drinking water quality has played a significant role in human diseases and infections. In Jeddah, the drinking water choices are mostly bottled water or water available in plastic containers after processing at private water treatment stations. A total of 30 drinking water samples were obtained from many sources in Jeddah, KSA: mineral water (13 samples) and tap water (17 samples). Microbiological tests were used, including a negative and positive Gram stain test for these colonies and determining the type of bacteria. To identify bacterially, Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques were used in this study. Following that, the susceptibility of bacterial isolates to commonly used antibiotics is tested. The results showed that the microbial cultures were of different isolates. We confirmed that these results by microbiological examination and molecular identification found a difference between the study samples. Fifty-three bacteria were isolated from 30 samples, 34 (64.15%) tap water samples, and 19(35.85%) mineral water samples were found to be contaminated with bacteria. The highest bacterial contamination, 86.6% of all samples, was found in the tap water in 50% of samples, while 36.6% was found in mineral water. Microbiological tests and molecular diagnostic methods make it simpler and faster to shorten the detection time of drinking water contamination. The results of the current study suggest that mineral water is a better source of potable water in Jeddah than tap water. However, there may be pollution in the water at the reservoirs rather than at the water sources