The assessment of shallow well water quality in relation to well distance from the pit latrine
A case study of Moiben Sub-county, Uasin –Gishu County
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58506/ajstss.v3i2.244Keywords:
physiochemical parameters, microbial contaminationAbstract
Informal settlements in urban areas of sub-Saharan Africa often rely heavily on shallow-dug wells for their water supply, but the wells are susceptible to contamination from various sources because most of them lack protection. The study investigated the levels of microbial quality and physicochemical parameters of shallow wells in Moiben sub- County, Uasin-Gishu County. It employed a quasi-experimental design involving laboratory experiments. A stratified sampling technique was used where sixty-two shallow wells were sampled from the five zones. This enabled analysis. The data was subjected to ANOVA and the most probable number (MPN) method was used to identify the number of total coliforms, fecal coliforms, and E. coli. The regression coefficients showed the relationship between well distance and microbial contamination with a p-value of 0.000. This implied that the distance of the shallow well from the pit-latrine is a good measure of microbial contamination. The R squared 0.728 implies the well distance can explain 72.8% of the level of microbial contamination. Test on physical parameters showed that. R squared 0.987 implying the well distance is significantly related to contamination by physiochemical parameters. In conclusion, wells located close to pit latrines consistently exhibit the highest level of contamination highlighting the role of pit latrines as a significant source of fecal pollution in groundwater. Ensuring an adequate separation distance of 50m between pit latrines and groundwater sources is important in preventing fecal contamination. Additionally, priority should be given to awareness creation, improving sanitation infrastructure, and the construction of properly engineered latrines and sewage systems.
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