Assessing Water Quality At Source And Point-of-use:A Case Study Of Pelengana Commune,in Segou Region,Mali,West Africa

Water is a precious and essential natural resource for multiple uses.Ensuring water is safe at source and point-of-use is important in areas of the world where drinking water is collected from communal supplies.Its use for food or hygiene requires excellent physico-chemical and microbiological quality.To assess the quality of water at source and point-of-use and its link with health in rural areas of Segou region of Mali,particularly in rural Pelengana commune,a physico-chemical and bacteriological control was carried out on the basis of samples of water from different commonly used water sources,including surface water,shallow wells,dug wells,boreholes,hand pumps,household containers,and cement reservoirs in this area.In order to follow the seasonal variation of different parameters,the samples were collected during the dry season and the wet season.This study also aimed to assess the perception of consumers in water quality,as well as to identify factors associated with deterioration in water quality such as storage of water,household demographics,and hygiene and sanitation practices.The data were collected through sanitary surveys,water quality testing,household surveys,document analyses,focus group discussions and key informant interviews to determine the most appropriate water supply model for safe,accessible,sustainable,cost-effective and acceptable water supplies for households in rural areas of Mali.In order to determine the microbial quality of drinking water,the Multiple-tube fermentation techniques(for total coliforms,fecal coliforms,fecal enterococci,and E.coli enumeration)were used.Conductivity,turbidity,pH and TDS,TSS,nitrates,nitrites,phosphates,chlorides,BOD5,Zn2+,F-,As,Hg,Cu,Cd,Pb,Mn,Cr,Fe levels of drinking water were measured.Microbial and physico-chemical data were collected and analyzed using statistical tests including analysis of variance(ANOVA),and Duncan's multiple comparison tests.The World Health Organization(WHO)Guideline(or other)Values(GVs),as well as United States Public Health(USPH)standards for drinking water quality were used as a benchmark.The study was conducted in certain rural villages utilizing various sources of drinking water.The results of analyzes have been shown that the waters of a large number of selected water sources have a poor physico-chemical and bacteriological quality.Results revealed that the Nitrate-Nitrogen(NO3-N)values of the water samples from the different water sources had concentrations exceeding the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency's(US-EPA)regulation of 10 mg/L,as well as World Health Organization Guideline for Drinking Water Quality(WHO GDWQ)(1 lmg/L).The same applies to heavy metals such as Cd,Pb,and Fe which concentrations exceed their allowable limits in certain locations.Moreover,apart from water samples from different boreholes,total coliform,and Escherichia coli have been detected in all selected water sources,which indicates fecal contamination.The results of the physico-chemical parameters obtained in certain sources of water showed that the content of nitrate,phosphate,iron,Cadmium,and Lead were higher than the acceptable limits particularly in wet periods.Bacteriologically,comparative analysis of the distributions in two study periods shows that the maximum of germs during the rainy season is higher than that of the dry season.In addition,findings showed that all point-of-use water was unsafe for human consumption as a result of either poor source water quality,in the case of surface,and wells water,and microbial contamination at the point-of-use,in the case of household containers,and cement reservoirs.The latter could be attributed to unsanitary environments,poor hygiene practices or poor water use behavior.Overall the number of germs decreases slightly in the dry season.This pollution constitutes undoubtedly a significant harm to the health of population consuming these waters.In order to reduce water-associated illness,provision of safe and adequate amounts of water,hygiene and sanitation education and education on water-use behavior should be provided as a package.The provision of improved water delivery systems does not ensure that drinking water is safe for human consumption.Measures,such as point-of-use water treatment should be considered to ensure that drinking water provided at the source and point-of-use is microbial safe for human consumption.