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3
rd
International Congress on
Annual Summit on
October 02-03, 2017 Atlanta,USA
&
Microbiology and Pharmaceutical Microbiology
Sexual & Reproductive Health
Journal of sexual and Reproductive medicine | Volume.1, Issue.2
Assessing risk of shallow tubewell water for drinking related to point sources of pollution
in rural Bangladesh
Nepal C Dey
1, 2, 3
, Mahmood Parvez
1
and
Ratnajit Saha
1
1
BRAC, Bangladesh
2
Noakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh
3
Social Development Foundation, Bangladesh
A
lthough a remarkable portion of population has gained access to improved drinking water sources in the last
two decades, sustainable and safe water use for drinking purpose is becoming a major challenge related to
sources of pollution including waste dumping points. Sanitary inspection of tubewells recommended by theWorld
Health Organization (WHO) assesses the presence or absence of observable remedial sanitary hazards, which in
turns provides the potential risk of microbial contamination of inspected tubewells. A total of 26,229 tubewells
from 40 selected upazilas covering four hydrological regions of Bangladesh were inspected to determine the
risk of selected shallow tubewells (depth<30 m) used for drinking purpose. A significant proportion of sampled
shallow tubewells had a latrine or a pollution source within 10 m of tubewell, and/or cracked/damaged platform
which may enhance the possibility of microbiological contamination of tubewell water. Over two-thirds of
the inspected tubewells was at medium to high risk according to the WHO’s sanitary inspection guidelines,
having critical issues regarding placement, design, construction and maintenance of tubewells, all of which may
facilitate the contamination of part of the aquifer from which the tubewell draws water. Furthermore, only 4%
of households reportedly purify water before drinking, which increases the risk of waterborne diseases among
rural population. As achieving the safety of water services through reduction of contamination is the key to
improve the household environment followed by public health, proper guidelines for the installation of tubewells
considering sanitary inspection should be followed. Proper distance between tubewell and potential sources of
pollution including latrines, waste dumping points, contaminated ditches/ponds, etc., must be followed strictly
along with soil texture and direction of groundwater flow. It is essential, water should be treated before drinking.
nepal_dey@yahoo.com