Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C, Volume 36, Issues 14-15, 2011, Pages 1120-1128
Household water treatment systems: A solution to the production of safe drinking water by the low-income communities of Southern Africa
J.K. Mwabia, F.E. Adeyemoa, T.O. Mahlangub, B.B. Mambab, B.M. Brouckaertc, C.D. Swartzc, G. Offringad, L. Mpenyana-Monyatsia, M.N.B. Mombaa, ,
Due to the numerous deaths and illnesses caused by waterborne pathogens, various household water treatment devices and safe storage technologies have been developed to treat and manage water at the household level. The new approaches that are continually being examined need to be durable, lower in overall cost and more effective in the removal of the contaminants. In this study, an extensive literature survey was conducted to regroup various household treatment devices that are suitable for the inexpensive treatment of water on a household basis. The survey has resulted in the selection of four household treatment devices: the biosand filter (BSF), bucket filter (BF), ceramic candle filter (CCF) and the silver-impregnated porous pot filter (SIPP).
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African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology Vol. 5(10), pp. 867-872, October 2011
Performance of Solanum incunum Linnaeus as natural coagulant and disinfectant for drinking water
C. Kihampa
The paper reports the performance of Solanum incunum Linnaeus as coagulant and disinfectant for water purification. Results show that coagulation depends on Fe(II) content and disinfectant on bioactive natural product compounds from the plant. The results suggest that S. incunum is promising as coagulant and disinfectant product for water purification.
Community Health Worker Training Materials for Cholera Prevention and Control, 2010.
CDC
Module 1. Community Mobilization Module 2. What You Need to Know about Cholera Module 3. Decision Making Guide for Taking Care of People with Watery Diarrhea Module 4. Handwashing Module 5. Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) Module 6. Safe Drinking Water— Aquatabs® Module 7. Safe Drinking Water— Dlo Lavi Module 7A. Safe Drinking Water— Gadyen Dlo® Module 8. Safe Drinking Water— PuR® Module 9. Safe Water Storage Module 10. Safe Food Preparation Module 11. Safe Sanitation and Cleaning Module 12. When a Person with Cholera Dies at Home Module 13. Preventing Cholera Stigma
Attached is a Fact Sheet on the use of pottery candle filters that are used in Kenya and Nepal. In Kenya, the systems are used in hundreds of homes in Nairobi, in the Mathare Community, and made at the Eastleigh Community Centre. The systems have been sold at what amounts to around US$8.00.
Contact: Reid Harvey, email: reidharvey@hotmail.com
IRC has published a literature review focusing on 14 technologies used in Africa in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector.
- Parker, A. et al., 2011. Africa wide water, sanitation and hygiene technology review. (WASHTech Deliverable 2.1). The Hague: WASHTech c/o IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre and Cranfield: Cranfield University. 93 p. : 1 box, 9 fig., 1 tab. Includes references.
- Available at: http://wp.me/a1szDW-1o
For each technology there is a description of the range of literature available on it, a concise description of the technology itself, a description of its application, a selection of interesting case studies, and an explanation as to whether the technology meets technical, financial, social and institutional success criteria.
- Included in the Household Water Treatment & Safe Storage technologies are: Household bio-sand filters, Constructed rain water harvesting jars, Life straw and Tippy tap.
For each technology there is a description of the range of literature available on it, a concise description of the technology itself, a description of its application, a selection of interesting case studies, and an explanation as to whether the technology meets technical, financial, social and institutional success criteria. Only two technologies met all four success criteria: hand dug wells and the India Mark II pump, and the latter only with the caveat that there was a functional maintenance system.
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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYGIENE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 2001; 214: 162-166 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2010.10.005
Health impact of small-community water supply reliability.
Majuru B, Mokoena MM, Jagals P, Hunter PR.
There is still debate and uncertainty in the literature about the health benefits of community water supply interventions. This paper reports on a changing incidence of self-reported diarrhoea associated with the implementation of two community water supplies. We conducted prospective weekly recording of diarrhoeal disease in three communities.
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Rev Panam Salud Publica vol.29 no.1 Jan. 2011
Criticisms of chlorination: social determinants of drinking water beliefs and practices among the Tz’utujil Maya
Jason M. Nagata
OBJECTIVE: To explore social determinants of drinking water beliefs and practices among the Tz’utujil Maya of Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala, through analysis of demographics, socioeconomic status, memory of historical events, sensory experience, and water attitudes.
METHODS: Parallel mixed (qualitative and quantitative) methods, including participant observation, in-depth interviews based on a purposive sample, and 201 semi-structured interviews based on a regional quota sample, were used to collect data from March 2007 to August 2008. Data analysis included the use of grounded theory methodology and Pearson’s chi-square test for independence.
RESULTS: Qualitative results based on grounded theory highlighted how memory of the Guatemalan Civil War and Hurricane Stan, attitudes about Lake Atitlán water, and the taste and smell of chlorine influenced Tz’utujil Maya drinking water beliefs. Quantitative survey results revealed that differences in ethnicity, literacy, years of schooling, distrust of the water supply during the Civil War and Hurricane Stan, and current beliefs about Lake Atitlán and tap water quality were associated with significantly different water self-treatment practices.
CONCLUSIONS: In accordance with social determinants of health paradigms, demographic, socioeconomic, social, cultural, political, and historical factors continue to be significant determinants of water-related health. Public health water interventions must address inequalities related to these underlying factors in order to achieve maximum effectiveness.
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH 2011 (Online first)
Which psychological factors change when habitual water treatment practices alter?
Hans-Joachim Mosler and Silvie Kraemer
Aim – Household water treatment systems (HWTS) and safe storage systems are an effective measure to ensure safe water supply. The adoption of HWTS requires long-term changes in behavior. During campaigns for health related behavior change, many people appear to have fixed behavioral patterns that are difficult to change. Since behavior change originates in the altering of inner psychological factors, it is necessary to investigate the transformation of these factors. Five categories of psychological factors are identified as responsible for the formation of habitual behavior: risk beliefs, attitudinal beliefs, normative beliefs, ability beliefs, and maintenance beliefs. This study analyzes which factors change when long-term users of HWTS, non-users, or ‘tryers’ (using HWTS occasionally), transform their behavior type or remain in their current behavior type.
Subjects and methods – Data were obtained by conducting six panel interviews about the use of solar water disinfection (SODIS) over a period of 14 months, with 694 households, in the slum areas of Harare, Zimbabwe.
Results – The results reveal that progressing to a higher level of user type (one who increases their use of SODIS), or staying at a high level of use (maintaining their level of use) is associated with the user’s ability to avoid being hindered by other habits, to remember the behavior in respective situations, and to notice that other people are also using SODIS.
Conclusion – Suggested strategies which may foster these factors include the control of distracting stimuli, forming implementation intentions, daily routine planning, applying reminders, and using public commitments.
Water 2010, doi:10.3390/w2020285
Improved Filtration Technology for Pathogen Reduction in Rural Water Supplies
Valentine Tellen
Intermittent bio-sand filtration (BSF) is a low-cost process for improving water quality in rural households. This study addresses its two drawbacks:
- flow limitationsrequiring excessive waiting, and
- inadequate purification when high flows are imposed.
Two modifications were examined: increasing the sand’s effective size, and adding zero-valent iron (ZVI) into the media as a disinfectant. After 65 days, percent reductions in total coliform, fecal coliform, and fecal streptococci averaged 98.9% for traditional BSFand 99% for the improved BSF. Both modifications showed statistically significantimprovements. Increased sand size and ZVI addition can counter the drawbacks of traditional BSF.
Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development Vol. 3(6), pp. 102-112, June 2011
Harvesting surface rainwater – purification using Moringa oleifera seed extracts and aluminum sulfate
Arama Peter Futi, Department of Botany and Horticulture, Faculty of Science, Maseno University, P. O. Box 333 – 40105, Maseno, Kenya.
Ground water harvesting is a method of collecting surface runoff from a catchment’s area and storing it in surface reservoirs. The water harvested is usually contaminated and turbid. Methods used to purify water include filtration, sedimentation, boiling and chlorination. This project was carried out in Nyatike district, Western Kenya where water is scarce and water-borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid and dysentery are prevalent. The main objectives of the research were to disseminate water harvesting technology using hand-dug water pans and to evaluate the effect of Moringa oleifera seed extract as water purifier.
Studies on water purification indicated that Alum lowered the water pH from 7.4 to 4.4 while samples treated with Moringa extract did not affect water pH. Alum was the better water purifier whereby application of 0.25 g/L decreased water turbidity from 310.7 to 1.1 NTU while M. oleifera decreased turbidity to 45.6 NTU. M. oleifera extract showed antibacterial activity. S. typhii was the most sensitive while V. cholera was the least sensitive.
