scholarly journals Locally produced hydrogen sulphide detecting water quality test kits increase household level monitoring in rural Tanzania

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatuma Matwewe ◽  
Kate Hyland ◽  
Jacqueline Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Hydrogen Sulphide ◽  
Water Sources ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Quality Test ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Rural Tanzania ◽  
Test Kit

Abstract In developing countries, rural water sources have the highest levels of faecal contamination but are the least monitored. Affordable field-based water quality tests are needed. The presence of faecal indicator bacteria can be determined with hydrogen sulphide (H2S) detecting tests, that are inexpensive and simple to make locally. In rural Tanzania, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) designed, produced and evaluated a new H2S water quality test kit. The H2S test results correlated with log10Escherichia coli densities from conventional water quality tests. The production cost was US$ 1.10 and the test retailed for US$ 1.37. In total, 433 tests were sold through local pharmacies and NGOs. Additionally, 165 WaSH education meetings, reaching 3,408 community members, were conducted with the H2S test demonstrated in over half the meetings. Pre- and post-surveys of 294 meeting participants saw an increased reporting of household level water treatment by 24%. The H2S test was widely accepted, with 94% of those surveyed willing to buy the test in the future. International and national guidelines for drinking water monitoring need to be amended to include locally produced H2S water quality tests. This will enable households to monitor their own water sources and make informed choices about water safety and treatment.

scholarly journals Water quality management for domestic rainwater harvesting systems in Fiji

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Kohlitz ◽  
M. D. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Water Quality Management ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Limited Government ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Harvesting Systems

Health risks from drinking rainwater are relatively small in the developing world context, but action is needed to ensure water safety. Water safety plans (WSPs) use an approach to manage water quality that has shown signs of success with public and communal water supplies, but relatively little research has been done to investigate the application of WSPs to self-supply systems. The aim of this paper is to investigate the primary issues surrounding appropriate water quality management of domestic rainwater harvesting (DRWH) systems in Fiji and consider how the principles of WSPs can be applied in this context. A qualitative research design was followed, utilising semi-structured interviews with 34 rural households and six key informants, sanitary inspections of DRWH systems and thematic data analysis. A number of challenges, including limited government resources and the limited knowledge and casual attitudes of rural rainwater consumers, constrain the practicality of adopting conventional WSPs at the household level, but steps for improvement can be taken.

scholarly journals Assessment of effectiveness of water safety plans (WSP) on water quality in rural communities of Anambra State, south-eastern Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azubuike S. Ekwere ◽  
Oyonga A. Oyonga ◽  
Maingaila M. Banda
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Water Sources ◽  
World Health ◽  
Household Surveys ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Anambra State ◽  
Water Safety Plans

Abstract World Health Organization recommends the use of Water Safety Plans as a systematic approach to ensure safe drinking water supply through a comprehensive risk assessment and management. This research assesses the implementation of WSPs in Anambra State, Nigeria based on understanding the outcomes of the community's WSP implementation and provides recommendations to improve the WSP process. To meet these objectives, a mixed-methods protocol was used, including, household surveys on water management practices, water quality testing to determine water safety of households' transport, stored and source waters and qualitative data collection. An evaluation on the implementation of WSPs in two council's areas, relative to non-WSP implementing communities, the following activities was conducted: 120 household surveys; water sample testing at water sources; Focus Group Discussions with key informant, water facility staff. Results indicates: water sources in both councils are producing relatively clean water; water management practices at the source were relatively safe with minor risky practices in a few communities; households involved risky practices that led to contamination from transported through to stored water and water facility caretakers were aware of their responsibilities. Recontamination of the source water during transportation and storage remained the main difficulty in ensuring consumption of safe water.

scholarly journals Water source quality in Ahenema Kokoben, Ghana

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 450-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amadu Salifu ◽  
Helen M. K. Essandoh ◽  
Afsatou Ndama Traore ◽  
Natasha Potgieter
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Microbiological Quality ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Water Sources ◽  
Drinking Water Quality ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Quality Of Water ◽  
Guideline Values ◽  
Test Kit

Abstract Regular monitoring of microbial quality of water used for drinking is an important aspect of public health. Microbiological quality, using a novel microbial water quality test kit – Compartment Bag Test (CBT; AguaGenX, LLC, Chapel Hill, NC, USA), and physical parameters (pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, temperature and electrical conductivity) of 94 different water sources used by communities in the Ahenema Kokoben area of Ghana for drinking were tested. Using the WHO drinking water quality risk categories for the presence of Escherichia coli indicator bacteria, only 56% (53/94) of the water sources were safe for drinking, while 29% (27/94) of the water sources were classified as high risk and unsafe for human purposes. Some of the physical parameters were also higher than guideline values and could have been a contributing factor to poor water quality. Overall, the CBT proved to be a reliable alternative to traditional and laboratory-dependent microbial drinking water quality tests which can be easily used by water authorities to make sure that water is safe to drink.

Deterioration in water quality from supply chain to household and appropriate storage in the context of intermittent water supplies

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 400-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Elala ◽  
Pawan Labhasetwar ◽  
Sean F. Tyrrel
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Residual Chlorine ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Point Of Use ◽  
The People ◽  
Good Risk Assessment ◽  
Water Safety Plan

Many water providers in urban developing country contexts have to supply the water intermittently due to the disparity between rapidly growing demand and investment in supply infrastructure. This can lead to water quality risks such as ingress of polluted groundwater and unsafe household storage. This study has investigated the common risks and possible alternative solutions down the supply chain in the Nagpur municipal piped network through quantitative and qualitative data collection. The water quality testing indicated a significant reduction in water quality between tap and point-of-use. Interviews and a sanitary survey indicated storage design, inappropriate extraction practice and children's access as the most frequent household storage risks. The people with socio-economically lower status were found to be in greatest need of interventions. The study leads to the following recommendations: there is a need for the evolution of a Water Safety Plan to enable supportive structures for good risk assessment which includes all stakeholders from source to point-of-use; community awareness of water quality risks needs to be raised; low cost ‘improved’ water storage at household level should be promoted; and the levels of residual chlorine should be investigated and adjustments made to assure potable water at point-of-use.

scholarly journals Public Participation in Air Sampling and Water Quality Test Kit Development to Enable Citizen Science

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-151
Author(s):  
Erin N. Haynes ◽  
Timothy J. Hilbert ◽  
Rusty Roberts ◽  
John Quirolgico ◽  
Rachael Shepler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Air Sampling ◽  
Quality Test ◽  
Test Kit

scholarly journals Linking Land Use Metrics Measured in Aquatic–Terrestrial Interfaces to Water Quality of Reservoir-Based Water Sources in Eastern China

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 4860 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilian Ding ◽  
Qiyao Li ◽  
Jianjun Tang ◽  
Jiangfei Wang ◽  
Xin Chen
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Ammonia Nitrogen ◽  
Water Sources ◽  
Self Organizing Map ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Construction Land

The effects of anthropogenic land use on the water quality of reservoir-based water sources are understudied. We trained a self-organizing map (SOM) to measure the spatial pattern of nutrients over the course of a year in 61 reservoirs located in eastern China. In the linear regression model and one-way analyses of variance, we found that water quality was influenced by period of the year (flood, low, and normal periods based on rainfall conditions) and reservoir altitude (plains vs. mountains). Our results indicated that land use metrics measured in aquatic–terrestrial interfaces significantly influenced the water quality of reservoirs. The land use intensity (LUI) and the proportion of construction land had a positive correlation with ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and chemical oxygen demand (CODMn) concentrations, and redundancy analysis indicated that the percent of landscape (PLAND) represented by construction land was positively correlated with CODMn, NH3-N, total phosphorus (TP), and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations. The proportion of cropland was not correlated with any water quality property except for CODMn concentration. The total explained variance for water quality was highest when the scale was large (the area defined by a 1500 m radius around the reservoir), indicating that management which ensures water safety should be carried out at this scale.

scholarly journals Usability of Rapid Cholera Detection Device (OmniVis) for Water Quality Workers in Bangladesh: Iterative Convergent Mixed Methods Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa L Rager ◽  
Cristian Koepfli ◽  
Wasif A Khan ◽  
Sabeena Ahmed ◽  
Zahid Hayat Mahmud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Pathogen Detection ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Water Sources ◽  
Human Infection ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Contaminated Water ◽  
Demographic Groups ◽  
Test Kit ◽  
Workflow Integration

BACKGROUND Cholera poses a significant global health burden. In Bangladesh, cholera is endemic and causes more than 100,000 cases each year. Established environmental reservoirs leave millions at risk of infection through the consumption of contaminated water. The Global Task Force for Cholera Control has called for increased environmental surveillance to detect contaminated water sources prior to human infection in an effort to reduce cases and deaths. The OmniVis rapid cholera detection device uses loop-mediated isothermal amplification and particle diffusometry detection methods integrated into a handheld hardware device that attaches to an iPhone 6 to identify and map contaminated water sources. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the usability of the OmniVis device with targeted end users to advance the iterative prototyping process and ultimately design a device that easily integrates into users’ workflow. METHODS Water quality workers were trained to use the device and subsequently completed an independent device trial and usability questionnaire. Pretraining and posttraining knowledge assessments were administered to ensure training quality did not confound trial and questionnaire RESULTS Device trials identified common user errors and device malfunctions including incorrect test kit insertion and device powering issues. We did not observe meaningful differences in user errors or device malfunctions accumulated per participant across demographic groups. Over 25 trials, the mean time to complete a test was 47 minutes, a significant reduction compared with laboratory protocols, which take approximately 3 days. Overall, participants found the device easy to use and expressed confidence and comfort in using the device independently. CONCLUSIONS These results are used to advance the iterative prototyping process of the OmniVis rapid cholera detection device so it can achieve user uptake, workflow integration, and scale to ultimately impact cholera control and elimination strategies. We hope this methodology will promote robust usability evaluations of rapid pathogen detection technologies in device development.

Excess propagation and biological control of zooplanktonic Cyclops in drinking water sources

2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 151-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.-Y. Cui ◽  
T. Lin ◽  
D.-M. Liu ◽  
L.-Q. Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Biological Control ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Silver Carp ◽  
Water Sources ◽  
Bighead Carp ◽  
Hypophthalmichthys Molitrix ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Drinking Water Sources

Starting with the occurrence of Cyclops in drinking water sources and its danger to drinking water safety, we extensively investigated the nature of its excess propagation by analyzing the effect of living space and predator pressure in the food chain on its survival. Then we developed an ecological project using fish biomanipulation, different to the conventional fishery culture technique, to control excess propagation of Cyclops. The control effects on Cyclops of four species of fish were investigated experimentally at a stocking density of 30g/m3 of water. Results showed that the food habit of the fish had a significant influence on the biological control of Cyclops. The propagation of Cyclops could be controlled effectively and also the water quality improved simultaneously by stocking filter-feeding fish, such as silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis). However, herbivorous Ctenopharyngodon idellus and omnivorous Cyprinus carpio had no obvious biological effects on controlling the growth of Cyclops and restoring water quality. The results further proved that under conditions of proper poly-culture densities of silver carp and bighead carp, the number of Cyclops might be controlled at very low levels and eutrophication might be abated by removing nutrients from the water body.

Public Participation in Air Sampling and Water Quality Test Kit Development to Enable Citizen Science

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-124
Author(s):  
Erin N. Haynes ◽  
Timothy J. Hilbert ◽  
Rusty Roberts ◽  
John Quirolgico ◽  
Rachael Shepler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Air Sampling ◽  
Quality Test ◽  
Test Kit
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document