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. 2008 Jun;26(2):139-50.

A community-based bacteriological study of quality of drinking-water and its feedback to a rural community in Western Maharashtra, India

Prachi V Tambe  1 , Poonam G Daswani, Nerges F Mistry, Appasaheb A Ghadge, Noshir H Antia
Affiliations

A community-based bacteriological study of quality of drinking-water and its feedback to a rural community in Western Maharashtra, India

Prachi V Tambe et al. J Health Popul Nutr. 2008 Jun.

Abstract

A longitudinal study of the bacteriological quality of rural water supplies was undertaken for a movement towards self-help against diseases, such as diarrhoea, and improved water management through increased community participation. Three hundred and thirteen water samples from different sources, such as well, tank, community standpost, handpumps, percolation lakes, and streams, and from households were collected from six villages in Maharashtra, India, over a one-year period. Overall, 49.8% of the 313 samples were polluted, whereas 45.9% of the samples from piped water supply were polluted. The quality of groundwater was generally good compared to open wells. Irregular and/or inadequate treatment of water, lack of drainage systems, and domestic washing near the wells led to deterioration in the quality of water. No major diarrhoeal epidemics were recorded during the study, although a few sporadic cases were noted during the rainy season. As a result of a continuous feedback of bacteriological findings to the community, perceptions of the people changed with time. An increased awareness was observed through active participation of the people cutting across age-groups and different socioeconomic strata of the society in village activities.

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Figures

HH=Household, SP=Standpost, T=Treated, Tk=Tank, U=Untreated, W=Well
Fig. 1
Quality of water in three areas
The bars represent mean+SD (from three individual experiments) of percentage decrease in cfu of E. coli in presence of coiled copper wire of one inch, 8 cm2 surface area compared to E. coli alone in PBS *p<0.05; cfu=Colony-forming unit; PBS=Phosphate buffered saline; SD=Standard deviation
Fig. 2
Antibacterial activity of copper wire against E. coli
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Water quality in South Asia.
    Luby S. Luby S. J Health Popul Nutr. 2008 Jun;26(2):123-4. J Health Popul Nutr. 2008. PMID: 18686546 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

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