Drinking water quality and risk of waterborne diseases in the rural mountainous area of Azad Kashmir Pakistan

Abstract

A study was conducted to evaluate drinking water safety at three different levels including sources, system and household in district Bagh, an earthquake affected area of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Pakistan. Portable water testing kit (Oxfam-DelAgua) was used for the detection of thermo-tolerant fecal coliform (Escherichia coli). A total (n=254) number of drinking water samples were examined for the presence of fecal coliform. It was found that, 68.5% (174 out of 254) of the overall samples tested were contaminated with Escherichia coli. The 52% (40 out of 77) of the water samples at source level, whereas 69% (58 out of 84) of water sample collected from system and 71% (66 out of 93) at household level were found contaminated with Escherichia coli. It was concluded that unprotected drinking water sources, improper management of waste, vulnerable sewage and ignorance regarding health and hygiene are the main reason of water contamination in the area.

Prevalence of Water Borne Diseases in Flood Affected Areas of District Khairpur Mirs, Pakistan

“…Insufficient turbidity, ineffective disinfection procedures, cross connections, or a decrease in water pressure can contribute to contamination in treated water. 5,6 Significant fluctuations in water pressure may cause bacteria to be dislodged from their colonization sites in the slime and sediments lining the pipe wall, leading to an erratic and changing assemblage of organisms. Poor water quality is also a result of flawed chlorination.…”

Comparative Study of Geospatial Techniques for Interpolating Groundwater Quality Data in Agricultural Areas of Punjab, Pakistan

“…The mean annual per capita water availability in the country has plummeted from 5229 m 3 in 1962 to 930 m 3 in 2023 [12], and thereby, approximately 80 percent of the country's population is facing severe water scarcity [11]. Consequently, about 90 percent of Pakistan's population relies on groundwater for drinking purposes [13][14][15][16]. However, it is estimated that 70 percent of the surface and groundwater sources in Pakistan are contaminated with organic, inorganic, and biological pollutants, particularly As [17][18][19].…”

“…However, it is estimated that 70 percent of the surface and groundwater sources in Pakistan are contaminated with organic, inorganic, and biological pollutants, particularly As [17][18][19]. Waterborne diseases due to the use of contaminated water account for about 30 percent of all diseases and 40 percent of deaths [13][14][15][16]. Additionally, waterborne diseases occupy 20 to 40 percent of the available hospital beds in the country.…”