 |
Issue contents | Previous abstract | Next abstract
Water Practice & Technology © IWA Publishing 2006 |
doi10.2166/wpt.2006.032
Contamination of drinking water between source and point-of-use in rural households of South Africa and Zimbabwe: implications for monitoring the Millennium Development Goal for water
Stephen W. Gundry1, James A. Wright2, Ronan Conroy,3,Martella Du Preez4, Bettina Genthe4, Sibonginkosi Moyo5, Charles Mutisi6, Jerikias Ndamba5, Natasha Potgieter7
1Water and Environmental Management Research Centre, University of Bristol, 83 Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1US, UK.
2Department of Geography, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
3Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Mercer Building, Dublin 2, Ireland
4Division of Water, Environment and Forest Technology, CSIR Environmentek, PO Box 395, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
5Research and Technical Services, Institute of Water and Sanitation Development, PO Box MP 422 Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe
6Department of Animal Science, University of Zimbabwe, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe
7Department of Microbiology, University of Venda for Science and Technology, Thohoyandou, Venda, South Africa
ABSTRACT
Aims: To assess contamination of drinking water in rural Zimbabwe and South Africa
Methods: We conducted a cohort study of 254 children aged 12-24 months in rural South Africa and Zimbabwe. In dry and wet seasons, we measured water quality, using the indicator organism E. coli, at improved and unimproved sources, in household storage and drinking cups. We also recorded hygiene and socio-economic factors for each household.
Results: For improved sources, samples with E. coli counts less than 10 cfu/100ml were as follows: at source: 165 (88%); in household storage 137 (59%); in drinking cups 91 (49%). The corresponding values for unimproved sources were: source 47 (29%); household storage 32 (19%); drinking cups 21 (18%). This significant deterioration in microbial quality of water from improved sources was seen in both countries and both survey rounds.
Conclusion: Although improved sources generally delivered ‘safe’ water at the point-of-supply, 12% of source samples were contaminated and as such were ‘unsafe’. Furthermore, in household storage, more than 40% of samples were ‘unsafe’. For monitoring the Millennium Development Goal for water, UNICEF-WHO are assuming an equivalence between ‘improved’ sources and ‘safe’ water. Our findings suggest that this equivalence may be unsound
Keywords: Developing Countries, Household Water Storage and Treatment (HWST), Hygiene, Intervention, Monitoring, Regulations
Full text PDF
PAY-PER-VIEW: Buy this article for £20.00 (IWA MEMBER PRICE: £15.00)
|
|
|
