Changing consumer water-use patterns and their effect on microbiological drinking water quality as result of an engineering intervention

A previous study done during 1994-1995 in a section of a large, low socio-economic urban development with limited sanitary facilities and drinking-water provision indicated that the community was exposed to water-related health risks when consuming the water supplied. The study indicated that, although the public supplied water was of a good quality, the stored water, once fetched from the standpipes, deteriorated to a quality often not safe for human consumption. Based on the findings of this previous study, the local authority decided to install standpipes for each individual family in the area concerned and these were placed in the house yards. The closer proximity of the standpipes immediately altered the water-fetching and storing patterns of the community. The consequent study, on which this abstract is based, assessed the potential risk of infection posed to health by the altered water-use pattern. Weekly water samples were collected from standpipes outside as well as from containers kept inside houses of selected families. Total coliforms, faecal coliforms, heterotrophic plate counts, Clostridium perfringens and somatic coliphages were used as microbiological indicators. Although the improvement of water accessibility enhanced the microbiological quality of stored water, the results indicated that hygienic quality still deteriorated. This situation indicated that a suitable education and information programme to enhance the quality gains of such engineering interventions should accompany engineering improvement of water accessibility