Water Quality Analysis for Centralized Drinking Water Supply Projects in Rural Areas,Guangxi in 2008

Objective To investigate the quality of drinking water produced by safe drinking water projects in rural areas of Guangxi.Methods A survey of water quality was conducted from January to October 2008,in the drinking water projects funded by treasure bonds in 89 counties (cities and districts) of Guangxi.The water samples were collected from waterworks and tap water in dry season (March) and rainy season (July to August),respectively,and evaluated for aesthetic,microbiologic and chemical indexes.Results A total of 1 327 drinking water projects were surveyed.58.25% had a daily output under 100 tons,and only 2.71% had an output over 1 000 tons (enough for 10 000 persons).Only 12.28% adopted comprehensive water treatment process (i.e.coagulation,sedimentation,filtration and disinfection),whereas 62.85% did not provide any treatment.Up to 79.80% had no disinfection equipment and 90% failed to provide effective disinfection.25.21% and 21.48% of finished water,and 25.78% and 20.59% of tap water samples tested up to the standard respectively in the dry season and rainy season.Over 88% of water samples met the aesthetic,chemical and toxicological standards (100% up to standard for chronic,arsenic and fluoride),while 73.16%-80.78% met the standard for bacterial count,30.86%-36.17% for fecal coliforms and 41.86%-47.73% for thermotolerant coliforms.Conclusion The study results indicate that the inadequate supply of safe water,absence of water treatment facilities and poor drinking water quality have represented a potential health risk in Guangxi rural areas.