Occurrence of waterborne pathogens and antibiotic resistance in water supply systems in a small town in Mozambique.

Background: . Microbiological quality of drinking water supplied in Moamba, a small town in southern Mozambique, was assessed by collecting and analyzing 91 water sample from 5 sampling sites: raw or inlet water, treated water and 3 household taps along the water distribution system. The presence of Escherichia coli as indicator fecal contamination, three bacterial pathogens, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella and Campylobacter spp.

Do health risk perceptions motivate water - and health-related behaviour? A systematic literature review.

Health-related risk perceptions are important determinants of health behaviours and components of behaviour change theories. What someone thinks or feels will motivate or hinder their intention or hesitancy to implement a certain behaviour. Thus, a perceived potential risk to our health and well-being can influence our health-promoting and/or health-seeking behaviour.

Assessment of the 20L SODIS bucket household water treatment technology under field conditions in rural Malawi.

Two billion people worldwide consume unsafe drinking water. The problem is particularly pronounced in Sub-Saharan Africa, where more than a quarter of the population relies on unimproved surface water sources. Based on the principles of solar water disinfection (SODIS), a new household water treatment technology, the SODIS bucket, was developed to improve the microbial quality of water from these sources based on controlled tests in a laboratory setting.

Effect of operational strategies on microbial water quality in small scale intermittent water supply systems: The case of Moamba, Mozambique.

Intermittent drinking water supply affects the health of over 300 million people globally. In Mozambique, it is largely practiced in cities and small towns. This results in frequent microbial contamination of the supplied drinking water posing a health risk to consumers.

Low voltage iron electrocoagulation as a tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater: removal of enteric pathogen indicators and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

In this paper we analyse the feasibility of low voltage iron electrocoagulation as a means of municipal secondary effluent treatment with a focus on removal of microbial indicators, Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (ARB) and nutrients. A laboratory scale batch unit equipped with iron electrodes was used on synthetic and real secondary effluent from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Synthetic secondary effluent was separately assayed with spiked Escherichia coli WR1 and with bacteriophage ΦX174, while real effluent samples were screened before and after treatment for E.

Status of Water Safety Plan Development and Implementation in Uganda.

Uganda was among the first countries in Africa that pioneered Water Safety Plan (WSP) development and implementation, with the first WSP dating back to 2002. The objective of this study was to assess WSP status in Uganda, focusing on the experience of the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), in order to understand the factors that influenced it and strategies for scaling-up. This study consisted of a review of documentation for 20 WSPs, 42 interviews, a focus group discussion and four field visits.

Capacity building and training approaches for water safety plans: A comprehensive literature review.

The World Health Organization has recommended Water Safety Plans (WSPs), a holistic risk assessment and risk management approach, for drinking-water suppliers across low-, middle- and high-income countries, since publishing its 2004 Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality. While rapid WSP adoption has occurred, capacity is still catching up to implementation needs. Many countries and regions lack case examples, legal requirements, and training resources for WSPs, corresponding to widespread capacity shortfall in the water supply sector.

Application of UVOX Redox for swimming pool water treatment: Microbial inactivation, disinfection byproduct formation and micropollutant removal.

Alternative disinfection technologies may overcome some of the limitations of conventional treatment applied in swimming pools: chlorine-resistant pathogens (e.g. Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts) and the formation of chlorinated disinfection byproducts.

Clinically relevant fungi in water and on surfaces in an indoor swimming pool facility.

The density of fungal contamination and the fungal diversity in an indoor swimming pool facility were assessed. A total of 16 surface samples and 6 water samples were analysed by using a combination of different (semi-) selective culture media. Isolated fungal colonies were identified to the genus or species level by sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS).

Inequalities in microbial contamination of drinking water supplies in urban areas: the case of Lilongwe, Malawi.

Over past decades strategies for improving access to drinking water in cities of the Global South have mainly focused on increasing coverage, while water quality has often been overlooked. This paper focuses on drinking water quality in the centralized water supply network of Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. It shows how microbial contamination of drinking water is unequally distributed to consumers in low-income (unplanned areas) and higher-income neighbourhoods (planned areas).

Occurrence of pharmaceuticals and UV filters in swimming pools and spas.

The occurrence of 32 pharmaceuticals and 14 UV filters in swimming pools and spas was studied. Fifty-one water samples were collected from 17 pools located in sport centres and hotels in Catalonia, Spain. The samples were analysed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Full-scale validation of an air scour control system for energy savings in membrane bioreactors.

Membrane aeration represents between 35 and 50% of the operational cost of membrane bioreactors (MBR). New automatic control systems and/or module configurations have been developed for aeration optimization. In this paper, we briefly describe an innovative MBR air scour control system based on permeability evolution and present the results of a full-scale validation that lasted over a 1-year period.

Automatic control systems for submerged membrane bioreactors: a state-of-the-art review.

Membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology has become relatively widespread as an advanced treatment for both industrial and municipal wastewater, especially in areas prone to water scarcity. Although operational cost is a key issue in MBRs, currently only a few crucial papers and inventions aimed to optimise and enhance MBR efficiency have been published. The present review summarises the available solutions in the area of automatic control systems and widely explores the advances in automation and control for MBRs.

Knowledge-based control module for start-up of flat sheet MBRs.

In start-up periods low MLSS concentration may lead to fouling phenomena and uncommon frequency of chemical cleanings using membrane bioreactors. A knowledge-based control module for the optimisation of start-up procedures in membrane bioreactors is presented and validated in this paper. The main objective of the control module is to accelerate the growth of MLSS and the achievement of the design flux while minimising the fouling phenomenon during start-up periods.

Biological nutrient removal in an MBR treating municipal wastewater with special focus on biological phosphorus removal.

The performance of an MBR pilot plant for biological nutrient removal was evaluated during 210days of operation. The set point values for the internal recycles were determined in advance with the use of an optimisation spreadsheet based on the ASM2d model to optimise the simultaneous removal of C, N and P. The biological nutrient removal (BNR) efficiencies were high from the start of operation with COD and N removal efficiencies of 92+/-6% and 89+/-7, respectively.