Drinking water safety evaluation in the selected sub-Saharan African countries: A case study of Madagascar, Uganda and Rwanda

Małgorzata Szopińska; Wojciech Artichowicz; Danuta Szumińska; Daniel Kasprowicz; Żaneta Polkowska; Sylwia Fudala-Książek; Aneta Łuczkiewicz

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174496

Drinking water safety evaluation in the selected sub-Saharan African countries: A case study of Madagascar, Uganda and Rwanda

Abstract

In the sub-Saharan region of Africa, access to safe drinking water remains limited in many countries. This study provides an overview of the quality of surface water and groundwater in rural and peri-urban areas of Madagascar, Uganda, and Rwanda. Selected physico-chemical parameters, inorganic species (including inorganic ions), and organic pollution indicators, such as total organic carbon, non-ionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, anionic surfactants, sum of phenolic compounds and formaldehyde, were analysed. Principal component analysis was applied to assess the variability of the water quality and identify regional dependencies. The inorganic ion composition in the majority of the studied samples meets WHO and EU requirements for drinking water intended for human consumption and poses no human health risk. However, an individual non-cancer-causing health index for nitrates and the values of Water Quality Index show a possible threat of ingesting the studied drinking water. The presence of surfactants (0.1–0.65 mgL-1), phenolic compounds (0.025–1.76 mgL-1) and formaldehyde (0.04–0.32 mgL-1) may also pose a risk to human, animal, and aquatic life. Additionally, in-situ measurements for E. coli and Total Coliforms conducted during the last field campaign in Madagascar (2022) revealed that all studied drinking water sources ranged from intermediate risk to unsafe. This result calls for the urgent need to enhance WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) services in the studied areas. The presence of both chemical and microbiological pollutants shows the need for the local authorities to develop and implement a catchment management plan to ensure the protection of water resources from potential pollution, and raise community awareness about the impact of human activity on water resources.

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Authors (7)

Małgorzata Szopińska dr inż.
Wojciech Artichowicz dr inż.
Danuta Szumińska Dr
- Uniwersytet Kazimierza Wielkiego w Bydgoszczy
Daniel Kasprowicz mgr
- Clinique BEYZYM
Żaneta Polkowska prof. dr hab. inż.
Sylwia Fudala-Książek dr hab. inż.
Aneta Łuczkiewicz prof. dr hab. inż.

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Articles

Type:

artykuły w czasopismach

Published in:

SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT no. 947,
ISSN: 0048-9697

Language:

English

Publication year:

2024

Bibliographic description:

Szopińska M., Artichowicz W., Szumińska D., Kasprowicz D., Polkowska Ż., Fudala-Książek S., Łuczkiewicz A.: Drinking water safety evaluation in the selected sub-Saharan African countries: A case study of Madagascar, Uganda and Rwanda// SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT -,iss. Volume 947 (2024),

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