Journal of Water and Health

This paper explores the socio-cultural and gender-based dynamics associated with place values, and their implications for women's access to water through case studies of upland and riverine communities in southern Nigeria. We used a range of fieldwork methods including public meetings, focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, keen observations, key informants and other secondary sources. Our findings show that drinking water sources are a part of the many forms of visible material structures that embody and generate automatic reproduction of gender-based beliefs, attitudes, feelings and practices...

In a recent monitoring study of Minnesota's public supply wells, Cryptosporidium was commonly detected with 40% of the wells having at least one detection. Risk factors for Cryptosporidium occurrence in drinking water supply wells, beyond surface water influence, remain poorly understood. To address this gap, physical and chemical factors were assessed as potential predictors of Cryptosporidium occurrence in 135 public supply wells in Minnesota. Univariable analysis, regression techniques, and classification trees were used to analyze the data...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious viral disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that emerged at the end of 2019. SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted through droplets, aerosols, and fomites. Disinfectants such as alcohol, quaternary ammonium salts, and chlorine-releasing agents, including hypochlorous acid, are used to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the present study, we investigated the efficacy of ionless hypochlorous acid water (HOCl) in suspension and by spraying to inactivate SARS-CoV-2...

Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 spread is challenging due to asymptomatic infections, numerous variants, and population behavior changes from non-pharmaceutical interventions. We developed a Digital Twin model to simulate SARS-CoV-2 evolution in Catalonia. Continuous validation ensures our model's accuracy. Our system uses Catalonia Health Service data to quantify cases, hospitalizations, and healthcare impact. These data may be under-reported due to screening policy changes. To improve our model's reliability, we incorporate data from the Catalan Surveillance Network of SARS-CoV-2 in Sewage (SARSAIGUA)...

Beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales bacteria cause severe hard-to-treat infections. Currently, they are spreading beyond hospitals and becoming a serious global health concern. This study investigated the prevalence and molecular characterization of extended-spectrum β-lactamase and AmpC-type β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-PE, AmpC-PE) in wastewater from livestock and poultry slaughterhouses in Ardabil, Iran. A total of 80 Enterobacterales bacteria belonging to 9 species were identified...

Drawing on responses from 238 beachgoers who have visited a Georgia (U.S. state) beach in the past three years, this study asks respondents about their knowledge of beach water quality monitoring, awareness of beach health advisories, perception of water quality, and expected responses upon learning of a beach's water pollution advisory. Binomial logistic regression finds that the only demographic predictor of respondents who would completely stop visiting a beach with an advisory is whether the respondent is a visitor or resident (year-round or part-time)...

Onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTSs) and private wells are commonly used in Eastern North Carolina, USA. Water from private wells is not required to be tested after the initial startup, and thus persons using these wells may experience negative health outcomes if their water is contaminated with waste-related pollutants including bacteria, nitrate or synthetic chemicals such as hexafluoropropylne oxide dimer acid and its ammonium salt (GenX). Water samples from 18 sites with OWTSs and groundwater wells were collected for nitrate, Escherichia coli (E...

Bacterial communities in drinking water provide a gauge to measure quality and confer insights into public health. In contrast to urban systems, water treatment in rural areas is not adequately monitored and could become a health risk. We performed 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to analyze the microbiome present in the water treatment plants at two rural communities, one city, and the downstream water for human consumption in schools and reservoirs in the Andean highlands of Ecuador. We tested the effect of water treatment on the diversity and composition of bacterial communities...

The decline in the quality of water resources in the Amazon is very rapid in cities suffering from unplanned urban growth. The region has two defined seasons, winter (wet) and summer (dry), which directly affect the behavior of contaminants in aquatic ecosystems. The aim of this study was to assess the ecological and human health risks associated with the use of the watershed. In addition, an ecological index was proposed: the Quality Index for Aquatic Life, for the risk of contaminants to aquatic life. Sampling was carried out at six points in the Juá watershed...

Anecdotal evidence and available literature indicated that contaminated water played a major role in spreading the prolonged cholera epidemic in Malawi from 2022 to 2023. This study assessed drinking water quality in 17 cholera-affected Malawi districts from February to April 2023. Six hundred and thirty-three records were analysed. The median counts/100 ml for thermotolerant coliform was 98 (interquartile range (IQR): 4-100) and that for Escherichia coli was 0 (IQR: 0-9). The drinking water in all (except one) districts was contaminated by thermotolerant coliform, while six districts had their drinking water sources contaminated by E...

As a basic infrastructure, sewers play an important role in the innards of every city and town to remove unsanitary water from all kinds of livable and functional spaces. Sewer pipe failures (SPFs) are unwanted and unsafe in many ways, as the disturbance that they cause is undeniable. Sewer pipes meet manholes frequently, unlike water distribution systems, as in sewers, water movement is due to gravity and manholes are needed in every intersection as well as through pipe length. Many studies have been focused on sewer pipe failures and so on, but few investigations have been done to show the effect of manhole proximity on pipe failure...

Pacific Island Countries (PICs) collectively have the lowest rates of access to safely managed or basic drinking water and sanitation globally. They are also the least urbanised, have dynamic socioeconomic and increasing climate-linked challenges. Community-based water managers need to respond to variability in water availability and quality caused by a range of hazards. Water Safety Planning (WSP), a widely adopted approach to assessing water supply, offers a risk-based approach to mitigating both existing and future hazards...

The available literature on natural hazard risk analysis focused on the implementation of water safety plans (WSPs) is surprisingly quite poor, despite the significant increase in the number and severity of disasters and adverse effects on drinking water supply systems generated by natural hazards. At the same time, WSPs that conveniently account for natural hazards with a comprehensive approach 'from source to tap' are still scarce as they typically occur at larger spatial scales and adequate prevention, mitigation and adaptation require efficient inter-institutional collaborations...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Wastewater monitoring is an approach to identify the presence or abundance of pathogens within a population. The objective of this scoping review (ScR) was to identify and characterize research on human pathogens and antimicrobial resistance detected in untreated human wastewater and sludge. A search was conducted up to March 2023 and standard ScR methodology was followed. This ScR included 1,722 articles, of which 56.5% were published after the emergence of COVID-19. Viruses and bacteria were commonly investigated, while research on protozoa, helminths, and fungi was infrequent...

Access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene in Chad's cities, especially N'Djamena, is a persistent and significant challenge. This study aimed to assess current practices in water, sanitation, and hygiene in N'Djamena's third and ninth districts. We surveyed 395 households, conducted water source identification, and analyzed seven water samples at the National Water Laboratory. Temperature, ammonium, total coliforms, and aerobic flora values exceeded World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Ammonium and temperature averaged 0...

The objective of this study was to assess the occurrence and seasonal frequency of human adenovirus (HAdV), human polyomavirus (HPyV), and human papillomavirus (HPV) in urban sewage. The detection of these viruses was carried out by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and then the viral concentrations in the positive samples were quantified by quantitative PCR (qPCR). Additionally, HAdV and HPyV genotyping was also performed by PCR. A total of 38/60 (63.3%) positive samples were found. HAdV was the most prevalent virus (26/60; 43...

Discharge of untreated wastewater into water bodies pollutes the receiving waters. This study assessed the impact of abattoir and Kampala designers' effluent discharge on the water quality of the Yemoja River in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Twenty-seven water samples collected at three points, covering 180 m length, for 6 months were assessed for physicochemical parameters and metals and compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) permissible standards. Most discharge point levels were found to be higher than their corresponding upstream and downstream values...

The study objective was to evaluate human faecal contamination impacts in the Yal-ku lagoon in the Mexican Caribbean and to estimate adenovirus infection and illness risks associated with recreational exposure during water activities. A total of 20 water samples (10 from each site × two sites) (50 L) were collected monthly over a period of 12 months from two selected sampling sites in the swimming area of the Yal-ku lagoon. The occurrence of faecal-associated viruses was explored, and human adenovirus (HAdV) and pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) concentrations were quantified...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.