Contents

 Introduction
 Water and disease
 Definitions
 Sources of water
 Requirements to be met by a
community water supply
 Water supply in rural areas
 Water supplies in cities and
towns
 Methods of disinfections
 Quality standards
Why water is essential
 Basic survival
 We need to drink a minimum of 1- 2
litres per day
 Used for disposal of waste
 Plants, animal and agriculture
 transportation
 "Water and Sanitation is one of the primary
drivers of public health. I often refer to it as
“Health 101”, which means that once we can
secure access to clean water and to
adequate sanitation facilities for all people,
irrespective of the difference in their living
conditions, a huge battle against all kinds of
diseases will be won."

Dr LEE Jong-wook, Director-General, World Health Organization.

 1.8 million people die every year from
diarrhoeal diseases (including cholera);
90% are children under 5, mostly in
developing countries.

 88% of diarrhoeal disease is attributed

to unsafe water supply, inadequate
sanitation and hygiene.
 Improved water supply reduces diarrhoea
morbidity by between 6% to 25%.
 Improved sanitation reduces diarrhoea
morbidity by 32%.
 Improvements in drinking-water quality
through household water treatment, such as
chlorination at point of use, can lead to a
reduction of diarrhea episodes by between
35% and 39%.
Definitions
 Potable water
 Safe water
 Wholesome water
 Contaminated water
 Polluted water
Potable water

 Liquid / water which is free from harmful

substances of any sort including
pathogenic organisms and pleasing to the
eye and palatable to taste.
 Safe water supply

 Implies absence of harmful substances

or organisms, but non-commital as to
appearance and palatability.
 does not represent any significant risk
to health over a lifetime of
consumption, including different
sensitivities that may occur between life
stages.
Wholesome water

 Water which is at all times free from

contamination, free from poisonous
substances and free from excessive
amounts of minerals and organic matter
(by reference to standard guidelines)
Contaminated water

 Contaminated with e.g human wastes /

animal waste which may transfer infection
Polluted water

 Water which has received any foreign

substance – organic, inorganic, biologic,
radiological – which tend to degrade its
quality so as to constitute a hazard or
impair the usefulness of water.
 Sources of water
 Surface water – lakes, pond, artificial
reservoirs, river.
 Rain water

 Underground water
spring
shallow well
deep wells
artesian wells
 Sea water – after desalination
Use of Water
Contamination of water
What contaminants may be found in
drinking water?
 What contaminants may be found in
drinking water?

Where does drinking How is drinking water

water come from? treated

What if I have special health need

What are the health effect of contamination

in drinking water

Who is responsible for What is a violation of a

drinking water quality? drinking water standard?

How can I help protect drinking water ?

Transmission cycle of faecal microbes
 Five Key Elements for a “safe” Water
Supply
 Quantity
 Quality
 Cost
 Coverage
 Continuity
 Five Key Elements for a “safe” Water
Supply

 Quantity: Enough water for everyone to drink, cook and bath, e.g.
30-100 litres/person/day.
 Quality: The water will not cause disease in those drinking or using it.
 Cost: The cost of sufficient water for basic needs is within everyone’s
reach.
 Coverage: Water is available to everyone in the community.
 Continuity: Water is available all day, every day.

All five elements are vital if health is to be improved and maintained

 “All people, whatever their stage of
development and social and economic
condition, have the right to have access
to drinking water in quantities and of a
quality equal to their basic needs.”

(UN Conference at Mar del Plata, 1977)

 “All people, whatever their stage of
development and their social and
economic conditions have the right to
have access to an adequate supply of
safe drinking-water”

WHO
Quality Standard for drinking
water
 Physical
 Chemical
 Bacteriological
 Radiological
 Biochemical indicators
WATER SUPPLY IN RURAL
AREAS
 Wells
 Shallow well
 Deep wells
 Artesian wells
Features of sanitary well
 drain cover

1 metre apron

3 metres seal

Sanitary
well
uphill

downhill
Sanitary well
Easily polluted well
Unsanitary well
 Dug well / hand pump

 Latrine within 30 meter of well ?

 Nearest latrine on highest ground than well ?
 Any source of pollution within 30 metres of well ?
(animal excreta, rubbish, etc)
 Any ponding of stagnant water within 2 metres of the
cement floor of well ?
 Animal surrounding the well?
 Cement floor less than 1 metre radius around the well?
 Contaminated buckets use?
 Cover properly clean?
 Wall inadequately sealed at any point for 3 metres
below ground level?
Water supply in cities and
towns

Treated water supply

 Water treatment is required to remove
or destroy pathogenic microorganisms.
 Schematic flowchart of a
water treatment plant

Primary
sedimentation Flocculation/ Filtration
coagulation Secondary
Aeration sedimentation

Catchment
area alum chlorine

Surface water Holding tank

Ground water

Service reservoir

distribution
Aeration
 Taste and odour
diminishes
 Iron and manganase
oxidised
 C02 removed, O2
added
Flocculation and coaggulation
Turbidity, colour, iron, manganese and
organism are made to settle down by floc
formation. Alum is used as artificial
coagulation.
Sedimentation
 Turbidity and bacteria reduced and
coagulated substances removed
Filtration
 Filter the residual impurities or floc.
 Turbidity, iron, Mn, and bacteria removed.
 Colours, taste and odours reduced.
Sterilization/ disinfection
 Disinfection of drinking-water is
essential if we are to protect the public
from outbreaks of waterborne infectious
and parasitic diseases.
 aimed both at inactivating remaining
bacteria before distribution and
providing a residual disinfectant to
inactivate bacteria.
Methods of disinfections
 Chlorination
 Ozonation
 Other treatment process…
NATIONAL DRINKING WATER
QUALITY
Parameter

1. PHYSICAL QUALITY
2. BACTERIOLOGICAL STANDARDS
3. CHEMICAL QUALITY
4. RADIOLOGICAL
Physical characteristic
 Temperature
 􀁏 Taste and odour
 􀁏 Colour
 􀁏 Turbidity
 􀁏 Suspended solids
 􀁏 Conductivity
 􀁏 Total dissolved solids
 Residual free chlorine ≥ 0.5 mg/litre
 Contact time ≥ 30 minutes
 pH < 8.0
 Median turbidity ≤ 1 Nephelometric
Turbidity Unit (NTU)
 Maximum turbidity = 5 NTU
Bacteriological standards
 Very important as waterborne disease
may start explosive epidemics.
 Indicators organism e.g faecal coliform
 Indicators of faecal pollution is use as a
margin of safety.
 Bacteriological standards

 Escherichia coli – recent faecal pollution

 Faecal streptoccoci (Streptococcus
faecalis) – faecal nature of pollution
 Anaerobic spore forming organism
(Clostridium welchii) in the absent of
coliform group – distant / not recent
contamination
Chemical quality
 Affected by substances which alter the
palatability of water supply
 Iron, zinc
 Excessive flourides and nitrates
 Lead, arsenic, cyanide
Radiological standards
 International Commission on
Radiological Protection (ICRP, 1991)
 Hazard derive from ionizing radiation
emitted by a radioactive substances
(chemicals) in drinking-water
 Uranium
 thorium
 potassium-40
Group Parameter
E. Coli
Total coliform
Group 1 Chlorine (free) / residual chlorine
Color
pH
Turbidity
Group 2 Chemicals

Group 3 Heavy metals

Group 4 Polyaromatic hydrocarbon

Pesticide
Group 5 Radiological
 Parameters analyzed for raw
water :
 Turbidity (NTU)
 pH
 Colour (TCU)
 Al (ppm)
 Fe (ppm)
 Mn (ppm)
 Alkalinity (ppm)
AKSB