Microbial Quality of Drinking Water and Prevalence of Water-Related Diseases in Marigat Urban Centre, Kenya

Background: Accessibility to potable water is a fundamental right for dignity and well-being. Despite this observation, more than 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water. This is particularly true in the Sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia regions. Objective: The main aim of this study was to assess microbial quality of drinking water and prevalence of water-related diseases in Marigat town, Baringo County, Kenya. Methods: Samples of drinking water were collected from water sources (boreholes, rivers, and wells) and at the point of use (households) and analyzed for Escherichia coli and total coliform (TC) bacteria using the most probable number method. In situ measurements of pH and temperature were performed using a Wagtech International portable meter. Clinical health records from the local health centers were also reviewed to assess the prevalence rates of some of the water-related diseases. Results: There were significant differences among water sources during dry season for E coli (F 2,21  = 3.629, P  < .05) and TC (F 2,21  = 4.041, P  < .05). Similar observations were made during wet season for E coli (F 2,21  = 4.090, P  < .05) and TC (F 2,21  = 1.893, P  < .05). Furthermore, there were significant interactions between the water sources and season for E coli (F 2,42  = 7.66, P  < .01) and TC (F 2,42  = 5.494, P  < .05). Drinking water in large plastic storage containers (herein referred to as sky-plast) had the highest E coli and TC concentrations. Typhoid was the most prevalent water-related disease during the dry season (10%), whereas diarrhea (3%) was the most prevalent during the wet season. Conclusions and recommendations: All drinking water at abstraction and point of use for Marigat residents are microbiologically contaminated and therefore pose serious health risks to consumers of such water. Thus, there is need for public health awareness campaigns on household water management to curb incidences of water-related diseases. Public health practitioners at county and national levels need to ensure that households have adequate access to potable water and improved sanitation

Impacts of Artisanal Gold Mining on Water Quality: A Case Study of Tangandougou Commune in Sikasso Region, Mali

Introduction: Unsustainable natural resources utilization is on the increase in the developing countries thus the ability of many local communities to meet their basic needs including food, water and shelter is jeopardized. Uncontrolled gold-mining in Sikasso region is one such an anthropogenic activity that is of great environmental concern to the local and national governments of Mali owing to its potential impacts on water quality, human health and environment. This study was conceived to assess the impacts of artisanal gold mining on water quality in Tangandougou in Sikasso region of Mali. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, water samples were collected, processed and analyzed for heavy metals (Lead, Cadmium and Arsenic) according to APHA protocols. Measurements of physical parameters of water quality were done according to APHA protocols. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: There were no significant spatial differences in physical and chemical parameters (pH, Temperature, Conductivity, total dissolved solids and Salinity) of water quality amongst the sampling sites. However, the heavy metals concentrations in the sampled water exceeded WHO drinking water quality guidelines. Conclusion: It was concluded that the water of Sankarani River and its tributaries is contaminated and may cause adverse effects on human health due to biomagnification and the bioaccumulative nature of heavy metals. Therefore, the study recommends continuous monitoring of the water quality in all water sources adjacent to gold-mining areas to protect human and environmental health

Open Defaecation and Its Effects on the Bacteriological Quality of Drinking Water Sources in Isiolo County, Kenya

Background information: The post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals for sanitation call for universal access to adequate and equitable sanitation and an end to open defaecation by 2030. In Isiolo County, a semi-arid region lying in the northern part of Kenya, poor sanitation and water shortage remain a major problem facing the rural communities. Objective: The overall aim of the study was to assess the relationship between sanitation practices and the bacteriological quality of drinking water sources. The study also assessed the risk factors contributing to open defaecation in the rural environments of the study area. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 150 households was conducted to assess the faecal disposal practices in open defaecation free (ODF) and open defaecation not free (ODNF) areas. Sanitary surveys and bacteriological analyses were conducted for selected community water sources to identify faecal pollution sources, contamination pathways, and contributory factors. Analysis of data was performed using SPSS (descriptive and inferential statistics at α = .05 level of significance). Results: Open defaecation habit was reported in 51% of the study households in ODNF villages and in 17% households in ODF villages. Higher mean colony counts were recorded for water samples from ODNF areas 2.0, 7.8, 5.3, and 7.0 (×10 3 ) colony-forming units (CFUs)/100 mL compared with those of ODF 1.8, 6.4, 3.5, and 6.1 (×10 3 ) areas for Escherichia coli , faecal streptococci, Salmonella typhi , and total coliform, respectively. Correlation tests revealed a significant relationship between sanitary surveys and contamination of water sources ( P  = .002). Conclusions: The water sources exhibited high levels of contamination with microbial pathogens attributed to poor sanitation. Practising safe faecal disposal in particular is recommended as this will considerably reverse the situation and thus lead to improved human health

Open Defecation Practices in Lodwar, Kenya: A Mixed-Methods Research

Background: As of the year 2014, about 2.5 billion people globally lacked access to improved sanitation. The situation is even worse in the sub-Saharan African countries including Kenya. The practice of open defecation (OD) peaks beyond 72% of the population in Turkana County, Kenya, despite various interventions to end it. Methods: This article reports on both qualitative and quantitative aspects of a cross-sectional study. A partially mixed sequential dominant (quantitative) status was used to understand various socioeconomic factors associated with OD practice in Lodwar’s human settlements, Turkana County. Simple random sampling technique was chosen to select participants for this study with the sample drawn from various administrative units of Lodwar. Standardized questionnaires, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews were used to collect data. Results: The quantitative findings revealed that culture was the leading factor as to why people practiced OD with a frequency of 44%. The findings further revealed that poverty was the major influencing factor for latrine ownership among the households (frequency 27%). Pearson χ 2 tests revealed that there was a significant association between latrine presence and education level of the household head (χ 2  = 107.317; P  < .05), latrine sharing (χ 2  = 403; P  < .05), and occupation of the household head (χ 2  = 74.51; P  < .05). The quantitative findings showed that culture was by far the most common factor that contributed to the OD practice with a theme intensity of 31.1%. Further analyses identified 5 major cultural aspects that were associated with OD practice. This included sexual immorality, OD as a common habit, nomadic pastoralism, bride’s dignity and mixing of feces. Open defecation as a common habit among the respondents was the most cited factor that contributed to its rampant practice (theme intensity 31.3%) followed closely by nomadic pastoralism kind of life among the residents that limit latrine construction (theme intensity 28.1%). Conclusions: In addition to cultural aspects, high poverty levels influence latrine adoption and consequently OD practices. Future sanitation interventions addressing OD should assess and factor in these cultural aspects in such communities to come up with appropriate eradication measures which have otherwise been difficult to solve through poverty eradication and sanitation campaigns that have been in existence

Living under extreme conditions: how African communities are coping with a changing climate

This Commentary reports on the pressures posed by climate change to the living habits of some African communities and outlines some of the adaptation strategies currently deployed. It also describes how resources such as plants, leaves and roots are used in inhospitable environments, as responses to the changing climate conditions