Assessing the Quality of Household Drinking Water in Selected Communities in the Akuapem South District

Abstract

Background: Water quality is a growing concern throughout the developing world as sources of drinking water are constantly under threat from contamination. This exposes the general population to various hazardous contaminants in water. Water quality assessment, especially household stored water is therefore necessary to ensure that clean and safe drinking water is delivered and sustained to reduce drastically, the disease burden and other public health issues that are associated with the use of unsafe water. Objective: The main objective of this study was to ascertain the quality of drinking water that is stored in vessels or containers, among households in selected rural communities in the Akuapem South District. Method: This was a cross-sectional study involving five (5) towns which were selected based on their strategic location, total number of households in the community and the prevailing socio-economic activities. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to enroll participants for the study. A household list from the 2010 population and housing census was used as sample frame. From the complete list of households, respondents were selected by the systematic random technique for questionnaire administration to elicit demographic information, water supply sources, behaviours relating to household water treatment methods, sanitation and hygiene practices, including hand washing practices. A total of 215 questionnaires were administered in addition to 30 household stored water samples collected for quality analysis. Results: Eighty per cent (80%) of household water tested in the study area contained E. coli and all (100%) of the water samples collected, contained thermotolerant coliform (TTC) bacteria. The mean E. coli (77.7±99.2 cfu/100mL) and TTC (232.8±115.8 cfu/100mL) in household water samples were higher compared to the WHO guideline for drinking water quality (GDWQ). However, the mean physico-chemical characteristics of household water samples were all within the WHO limits, although 50% of water samples in the study area failed the pH test. The main water source used by households in the study area was borehole, accounting for 81.4%, followed by protected well (14%) and 3.7% piped water. Just a small proportion (0.9%) reported collecting water from streams, rivers and ponds as the main source of drinking water. Water source, time spent for collection, sanitation and hygiene influenced water quality, even though the association was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that household stored water is heavily contaminated with bacteria mostly due to poor water handling and insanitary conditions under which water is stored, although majority of households have access to an improved source of water (borehole). Furthermore, the findings showed that water, sanitation and hygiene practices are predictive of faecal contamination in household stored water, as confirmed in the water quality test. Putting everything in context, these findings emphasize the requirement for interventions in households, including water treatment, safe water handling, improved storage and proper hand hygiene to guarantee safe drinking water, among households.