The effect of type of water supply on water quality in a developing community in South Africa

Genthe, Bettina; Strauss, N; Seager, Jennifer; Vundule, C; Maforah, Fidelia; Kfir, R.

doi:10.2166/wst.1997.0706

Cited by 22 publications

(25 citation statements)

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“…These diseases develop as a result of the presence of bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella ssp., Shigella ssp. and Vibrio Cholerae which are transmitted via the fecal/oral route through poorly treated or contaminated drinking water [55,56].…”

Section: Water Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, Faecal coliform is used as an indication as to whether these bacterial pathogens are present in the water body [56][57][58]. For the catchment to improve upon its sustainability or for it to limit further degradation of its water resources and the region as a whole, the main negative influences in terms of land cover need to be established.…”

Section: Water Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quantifying and Predicting the Water Quality Associated with Land Cover Change: A Case Study of the Blesbok Spruit Catchment, South Africa

Plessis

Harmse

Ahmed

2014

Water

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Abstract:The integrity of the Blesbok Spruit catchment has been significantly compromised over the past decades, mainly due to the discharge of mining effluent and sewage. This research investigated the hydrological responses, in terms of water quality, in the event of land cover change within the catchment to make predictions on the future sustainability of the region's water resources with the application of Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression analysis. The quantification of hydrological responses in terms of water quality towards land cover changes has not been completed by previous research studies within the catchment. This research established the catchment's present state of water quality and formulated PLS model equations to enable the prediction of future concentrations of specific water quality parameters in association with future land cover change. A change in land cover was found to have various negative influences. The retransformation of land cover into natural areas is accompanied with unintended and undesirable effects due to the degradation of the catchment's buffering capabilities and the absence of the enforcement of the decommissioning of mining operations. For the Blesbok Spruit catchment to avoid a future water predicament, systematic and interdisciplinary measures need to be implemented OPEN ACCESSWater 2014, 6 2947 according to these and other related findings, to ensure the future sustainability of the catchment and the region as a whole.

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Section: Water Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Water Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying and Predicting the Water Quality Associated with Land Cover Change: A Case Study of the Blesbok Spruit Catchment, South Africa

Plessis

Harmse

Ahmed

2014

Water

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“…Heterotrophic plate count bacteria are used as indicators of the general microbiological water quality (Genthe and Seager, 1996;Grabow, 1996;Nala et al, 2003). Water samples may also be tested for total coliform bacteria in order to assess the general hygienic quality of water, which may also indicate the presence of pathogens responsible for the transmission of waterborne diseases (Genthe and Kfir, 1995;Genthe and Seager, 1996;Grabow, 1996;Zamxaka et al, 2004). E. coli are used to test for faecal contamination of drinking water (Genthe and Kfir, 1995;Genthe and Seager, 1996;Jensen et al, 2004;Wright et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Water samples may also be tested for total coliform bacteria in order to assess the general hygienic quality of water, which may also indicate the presence of pathogens responsible for the transmission of waterborne diseases (Genthe and Kfir, 1995;Genthe and Seager, 1996;Grabow, 1996;Zamxaka et al, 2004). E. coli are used to test for faecal contamination of drinking water (Genthe and Kfir, 1995;Genthe and Seager, 1996;Jensen et al, 2004;Wright et al, 2004). Somatic coliphages are frequently used as indicators of the presence of enteric viruses (Genthe and Kfir, 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microbial deterioration of stored water for users supplied by stand-pipes and ground-tanks in a peri-urban community

Maraj¹,

Rodda²,

Jackson³

et al. 2009

WSA

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Two forms of water service delivery in peri-urban settlements in the eThekwini municipal region are communal stand-pipes and household ground-tanks. Water from these sources requires storage prior to use. Previous studies have shown that water quality tends to deteriorate during storage. This study was conducted during the winter season and tested water from standpipe and ground-tank households for deterioration of microbial quality relative to source. Thirty stand-pipe and 27 groundtank households were sampled for a period of 10 d. Samples were tested for total organisms, total coliforms, Escherichia coli, conductivity, turbidity, pH and free and total chlorine. Households were divided into groups on the basis of the age distribution of members to assess the impact of household composition on stored water quality. Stand-pipe households were further divided according to the type of water containers used. Results indicated that both ground-tank and stand-pipe water deteriorated during storage although ground-tank water was of better quality than stand-pipe water. There was no significant difference in water quality between stand-pipe households that used open-top containers and those that used closed-top containers. Comparison of the water quality relative to age distribution of households showed that householders were at increased risk of consuming faecally contaminated water if children were present in the case of households supplied by ground-tanks, but not for those supplied by stand-pipes. Results from stand-pipe households with adults only indicated that such households maintained better personal hygiene but lower container hygiene than those households consisting of children, whereas the opposite effect was seen in those stand-pipe households with children present.

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Quality of Water the Slum Dwellers Use: The Case of a Kenyan Slum

2007

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As a result of rapid urbanization in a context of economic constraints, the majority of urban residents in sub-Saharan Africa live in slums often characterized by a lack of basic services such as water and sewerage. Consequently, the urban poor often use inexpensive pit latrines and at the same time may draw domestic water from nearby wells. Overcrowding in slums limits the adequate distance between wells and pit latrines so that micro-organisms migrate from latrines to water sources. Sanitary practices in these overcrowded slums are also poor, leading to contamination of these wells. This study sought to assess sanitary practices of residents of a Kenyan urban slum and fecal contamination of their domestic water sources. This cross-sectional study involved 192 respondents from Langas slum, Kenya. Forty water samples were collected from the water sources used by the respondents for laboratory analysis of coliforms. Of these 40 samples, 31 were from shallow wells, four from deep wells, and five from taps. Multiple-tube fermentation technique was used to enumerate coliform bacteria in water. The study found that most people (91%) in the Langas slum used wells as the main source of domestic water, whereas the rest used tap water. Whereas most people used pit latrines for excreta disposal, a substantial percentage (30%) of children excreted in the open field. The estimated distance between the pit latrines and the wells was generally short with about 40% of the pit latrines being less than 15 m from the wells. The main domestic water sources were found to be highly contaminated with fecal matter. Total coliforms were found in 100% of water samples from shallow wells, while 97% of these samples from shallow wells were positive for thermotolerant coliforms. Three out of the four samples from deep wells were positive for total coliforms, while two of the four samples were positive for thermotolerant coliforms. None of the samples from taps were positive for either total or thermotolerant coliforms. Because the presence of thermotolerant coliforms in water indicates fecal contamination, facilitated by the proximity between the wells and pit latrines, the study suggests that the pit latrines were a major source of contamination of the wells with fecal matter. However, contamination through surface runoff during rains is also plausible as indiscriminate excreta disposal particularly by children was also common. Owing to the fecal contamination, there is a high possibility of the presence of disease pathogens in the water; thus, the water from the wells in Langas may not be suitable for human consumption. To address this problem, treatment of the water at community or household level and intensive behavioral change in sanitary practices are recommended. Efforts should be made to provide regulated tap water to this community and to other slums in sub-Saharan Africa where tap water is not accessible. However, more sampling of different water sources is recommended.

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The effect of type of water supply on water quality in a developing community in South Africa

Cited by 22 publications

References 0 publications

Quantifying and Predicting the Water Quality Associated with Land Cover Change: A Case Study of the Blesbok Spruit Catchment, South Africa

Quantifying and Predicting the Water Quality Associated with Land Cover Change: A Case Study of the Blesbok Spruit Catchment, South Africa

Microbial deterioration of stored water for users supplied by stand-pipes and ground-tanks in a peri-urban community

Quality of Water the Slum Dwellers Use: The Case of a Kenyan Slum

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