Drinking Water Quality Assessment at Source and Point-of-Use In Rural Mali: A Case Study

A study was conducted in rural Mali to assess an assumption among development organizations that drinking water will remain safe at point-of-use if collected from a safe (improved) source. Additionally, the values of water quality testing methods are discussed as a means to evaluate drinking water quality and serve as a teaching tool for people with poor understanding of microbial contamination. Waters collected from borehole wells with hand pumps, hand-dug wells, and households using each source type were evaluated for total coliform, E.coli, and turbidity. Microbial testing was done using a chromogenic direct count method. Turbidity was determined with a turbidity tube. Results suggest future work should be done to modify existing strategies to consider water quality at point-of-use by promoting a combination of improved source technology and point-of use treatment. The research experience also revealed that a chromogenic direct count method was an effective means of communicating microbial contamination to people with limited understanding of germ theory. These methods would be useful and cost effective for health and water quality education programs in developing communities.