Safety of Drinking Water from Primary Water Sources and Implications for the General Public in Uganda
,ere is scarcity of information about the quality and safety of drinking water in Africa. Without such vital information, sustainable development goal number 6 which promotes availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation remains elusive especially in developing countries. ,e stud...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
Hindawi
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12493/166 |
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| Summary: | ,ere is scarcity of information about the quality and safety of drinking water in Africa. Without such vital information,
sustainable development goal number 6 which promotes availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation remains
elusive especially in developing countries. ,e study aimed at determining concentrations of inorganic compounds, estimated daily
intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), hazard index (HI), incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR), and identify safe drinking
water source sources in Southwestern Uganda. Methods. ,is was an observational study in which 40 drinking water samples were
collected from georeferenced boreholes, springs, open wells, bottled, and taps within Bushenyi district of Southwestern Uganda.
Water samples were analyzed for copper (Cu), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and chromium (Cr) levels using atomic
absorption spectrometry (AAS). Water safety measures (EDI, HI, and ILCR) were established for each water source and compared
with local and international water permissible standards for each analyte. A spatial map was drawn using qGIS®, and analysis of
quantitative data was done using MS Excel 2013 at 95% significance. Results. Heavy metals were present in the following order:
11.276 ppm> 4.4623ppm > 0.81ppm > 0.612ppm > 0.161 ppm for Fe, Zn, Pb, Cu, and Cd, respectively, while Cr was not detected. Fe
was the primary water heavy metal in the order of open well > borehole > tap > spring > bottled water. ,is was followed by Zn levels
in the order of tap > bottled > spring > borehole > open well. All compounds were within international water safety standards except
Pb. Hence, there is need for the government of Uganda to establish water filtration systems, particularly for Pb to improve the quality
of water for the general public.,eEDI was similar (P > 0.05) for water consumed from spring, bottled, and tap sources for Fe and Zn
levels. Similarly, no differences were found in the EDI for children and adults (P > 0.05). Furthermore, the HI showed an absence of
noncarcinogenic risk associated (HI < 1), although the ILCR was higher in adults than children (P < 0.05) due to high Cd concentrations.
Conclusion. ,e current identified Fe is a major heavy metal in drinking water of Uganda, and boreholes were the major
safest sources of drinking water identified in this study. |
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