| Author | Molla, Neelima Afroz |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.EV-05-19 |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of Master of Science |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Chlorination-related disinfection is an acknowledged intervention saving thousands of lives. One promising option is use of Aquatabs tablets. However little information is available on their practical use in the poor communities. The pilot study was undertaken on practical household use of the Aquatabs disinfectant for drinking water treatment in the Lalbagh area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. This area consists of a low-income community suffering from a lack of basic health services, including a lack of adequate and safe water and sanitation facilities. Drinking water consumed by 318 people was treated with Aquatabs in 50 households, which included 70 children under 5 years of age, for a period of one month. A pre-trial survey and testing of the water supplies demonstrated that the mean faecal coliform count was > 103 MPN/100mL and that all children (100%) belonged to a Severe Diarrhea Group (> 3 incidences of light diarrhea or any serious diarrheal condition). One effervescent Aquatabs (67mg sodium dichloroisocyanurate) was added by the mother to the local container (filled from a community tap or standpipe, often through an illegal connection), which held about 20-25 litres of unsafe water, giving a dosage of about 2mg/L free chlorine. During the trial period water samples were tested at 3 x 10-day period for free residual chlorine levels and faecal coliform counts at all households. The pilot trial results demonstrated that: the free residual chlorine levels were between the range 0.2 2.8mg/L (for all households at all sampleing periods), no household had over-chlorinated their water (>5mg/L residual free chlorine) at any sample period, 90% of samples over the 3 x 10-day periods (132 samples out of 147) demonstrated correct chlorination (>0.5mg/L; <5mg/L residual free chlorine), 84% of samples over the 3 x 10-day period showed an absence of faecal coliform counts (123 samples out of 147), the maximum faecal coliform count was 23 MPN/100mL. The faecal coliforms found may have been due to secondary contamination, there was a strong association between the absence of faecal coliform counts and correctly chlorinated water samples (>0.5mg/L;<5mg/L residual free chlorine), the diarrhea in children under 5 years of age was reduced from a pre-trial level of 100% in the Severe Diarrhea Group to 14.3% during the trial period. 65.7% of children were reported to be free from diarrhea during the trial period, there was a strong association between under-chlorinated water (<0.5mg/L residual free chlorine) and reported diarrhea incidences. Survey analysis during the pilot trial concluded that 70% of mothers were not aware that health improvements were related to water supply and sanitation. 78% of mothers favoured the use of Aquatabs because: they were easy and safe to use, store and handle, they had no objectionable smell or taste, they dissolved quickly, it was easy to receive and give advice about their use at household level. Mothers subjectively appreciated a better and improved general physical state of their children towards the end of the trial period and 65% of mothers expressed a future willingness to pay for Aquatabs, although the fathers were usually not willing to pay. The general preference was for the Government or NGO to provide support. |
| Year | 2005 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Environmental Engineering and Management (EV) |
| Chairperson(s) | Shipin, Oleg; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Nguyen Cong Thanh;Aramaki, Toshiya;Hossain, Akram; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Government of Norway ; |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Eng.) -- Asian Institute of Technology, 2005 |