A survey of domestic wells and pit latrines in rural settlements of Mali: Implications of on-site sanitation on the quality of water supplies

Abstract

On-site sanitation is generally advocated as a means to eradicate the health hazards associated with open defecation. While this has provided a welcome upgrade to the livelihoods of millions of people in low-income countries, improved sanitation facilities are increasingly becoming a threat to domestic groundwater-based supplies. Within this context, a survey of pit latrines, domestic wells and improved water sources was carried out in a large rural village of southern Mali. All households were surveyed for water, sanitation and hygiene habits. Domestic wells and improved water sources were georeferenced and sampled for water quality (pH, electric conductivity, temperature, turbidity, total dissolved solids, thermotolerant coliforms, chloride and nitrate) and groundwater level, while all latrines were inspected and georeferenced. A GIS database was then used to evaluate the proportion of water points within the influence area of latrines, as well as to underpin multiple regression models to establish the determinants for fecal contamination in drinking supplies. Moreover, an appraisal of domestic water treatment practices was carried out. This revealed that nearly two-thirds of the population uses bleach to purify drinking supplies, but also that domestic-scale treatment as currently implemented by the population is far from effective. It is thus concluded that existing habits could be enhanced as a means to make water supplies safer. Furthermore, population, well and latrine density were all identified as statistically significant predictors for fecal pollution at different spatial scales. These findings are policy-relevant in the context of groundwater-dependent human settlements, since many countries in the developing world currently pursue the objective of eliminating open defecation.

Bacterial contamination of drinking water sources in rural villages of Mohale Basin, Lesotho: exposures through neighbourhood sanitation and hygiene practices

“…Bacterial contamination of drinking water is a major contributor to water-borne diseases in rural areas of most developing countries where water sources are communally shared [1, 2] and exposed to multiple faecal-oral transmission pathways in their neighbourhood boundaries [3, 4]. Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) infections associated with drinking contaminated water remain a major public health concern as its presence signifies fatal illnesses such as diarrhoea [3, 5]. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that diarrhoeal disease due to exposure to unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and hygiene practices contribute to more than 25% of reported global environmental burden of the disease [6].…”

Investigation and assessment of supplied water quality in Rajshahi City Corporation of Bangladesh

“…The authors tested the collected water samples immediately after collecting samples for some physical parameters, including EC, pH, turbidity, and temperature (Martínez-Santos et al, 2017). They measured almost all these vital water quality https://doi.org/10.5194/dwes-2020-31…”

Comment on dwes-2020-31

“…The authors tested the collected water samples immediately after collecting samples for some physical parameters, including EC, pH, turbidity, and temperature (Martínez-Santos et al, 2017 parameters within four hours of collection due to obtaining an accurate value (Fahmida et al, 2013). The testers thoroughly rinsed all probes of multi-parameter and wholly dried them with lint-free wipes or compressed air.…”