Predictors of treated and untreated water consumption in rural Bolivia

Domestic Groundwater Quality in the Northern Governorates of the West Bank, Palestine

Like several parts in the Middle East, the West Bank is in a significant water scarcity status. Palestinians use groundwater as the main water source, supplying more than 90% of the consumed water in the West Bank. The aim of this study is to enhance the knowledge on drinking water quality in the West Bank. Groundwater quality data was obtained from the Palestinian Water Authority, including the years 2015 and 2016, from the Northern six districts of the West Bank. The water quality data were analyzed and matched with the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and the Palestinian standards for drinking water quality. The findings of this study revealed that groundwater in the north of the West Bank comply with several drinking water requirements including total hardness, pH, and sodium and chloride content. Conversely, 18% of the samples exceed the limits for nitrate concentration. The fecal Coliforms and total Coliforms results show that 98.7% of the samples give no risk, but 1.3% of the samples give low risk, and no sample gives intermediate-to-high risks. The microbial and chemical pollution of groundwater is postulated to inadequate wastewater management, high use of fertilizers, and uncontrolled disposal of animal manure. Therefore, it is crucial to disinfect drinking water at the source of production before supply as an immediate action, followed by implementing pollution prevention measures.

Heavy metal contamination in two commercial fish species of a trans-Himalayan freshwater ecosystem

Toxic metals have disturbed the quality of freshwater ecosystems worldwide. The concentration of heavy metals was investigated in liver, gills and muscle tissues of Schizothorax niger and Cyprinus carpio captured from river Jhelum of Kashmir Himalaya. The heavy metals displayed a wide range of disparity in studied tissues, seasons, sites and species. Cu²⁺ exhibited the highest concentration (279.6 μg/kg) in the liver tissues of S. niger in autumn at site 2 and the lowest (53.1 μg/kg) in the gill tissues in winter at site 1. In C. carpio, the Cu²⁺ was recorded highest (309.4 μg/kg) in the liver tissues in autumn at site 2. The concentration of Zn²⁺ was found highest (575.7 μg/kg) in the liver tissues at site 2 and the lowest (65.8 μg/kg) was recorded in the muscle tissues in autumn at site 1. Zn²⁺ was recorded highest (416.6 μg/kg) in the liver tissues in autumn at site 3 and lowest (51.5 μg/kg) in the gills of C. carpio during winter at site 1 (control). The concentration of Pb²⁺ (14.42 μg/kg) and Fe²⁺ (323.9 μg/kg) was observed in the liver tissue and gills of S. niger at site 3. Similar levels of Pb²⁺ and Fe²⁺ were recorded in the tissues of C. carpio at different sites. Four-way ANOVA (four way) indicated a statistically significant variation (p ≤ 0.05) in heavy metals with the sites, seasons, species and organs. The study emphasises the utmost need to monitor the level of heavy metals in S. niger on a regular basis as this native fish species is showing a continuous decline in the freshwater ecosystems of Kashmir Valley.

Factors determining water treatment behavior for the prevention of cholera in Chad

Cholera is a well-known and feared disease in developing countries, and is linked to high rates of morbidity and mortality. Contaminated drinking water and the lack of sufficient treatment are two of the key causes of high transmission rates. This article presents a representative health survey performed in Chad to inform future intervention strategies in the prevention and control of cholera. To identify critical psychological factors for behavior change, structured household interviews were administered to N = 1,017 primary caregivers, assessing their thoughts and attitudes toward household water treatment according to the Risk, Attitude, Norm, Ability, and Self-regulation model. The intervention potential for each factor was estimated by analyzing differences in means between groups of current performers and nonperformers of water treatment. Personal risk evaluation for diarrheal diseases and particularly for cholera was very low among the study population. Likewise, the perception of social norms was found to be rather unfavorable for water treatment behaviors. In addition, self-reported ability estimates (self-efficacy) revealed some potential for intervention. A mass radio campaign is proposed, using information and normative behavior change techniques, in combination with community meetings focused on targeting abilities and personal commitment to water treatment.