| Author | Saeed, Tanveer Ferdous |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.EV-06-35 |
| Subject(s) | Water quality management--Bangladesh--Dhaka
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| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. EV-06-35 |
| Abstract | Chlorination-related disinfection is an acknowledged intervention saving thousands of lives. One promising option is use of Aquatabs tablets. Aquatabs are effervescent chlorinerelease tablets. However little information is available on their practical use in the poor communities. The trial study was undertaken on practical household use of the Aquatabs disinfectant for drinking water treatment in the Geneva camp area of Mohamamdpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh whose population had no access to safe water and adequate sanitation. The duration of the study was 5 months. The trial was performed on 100 households. Half of the houses received Aquatabs and served as intervention group. The other half received Placebos, which had no biocidal effect and served as control group. 555 people participated in the study. 95% of the surveyed households were found not to treat water in any way prior drinking during the baseline survey. As a result, the mean Faecal Coliform (FC) count in the household drinking water was found to be on average 1134 CFU/100 ml. Approximately 12% of the people within the surveyed 100 households were attacked with diarrhea prior to 7/10 days of the baseline survey. Four consecutive trials undertaken immediately after the baseline survey showed that, as a result of the household treatment of water with Aquatabs, the mean Faecal Coliform (FC) count has gradually decreased from 7 CFU/100 ml in the lst trial (duration: 4 weeks) to I CFU/100 ml in the 4th trial (duration: 4 weeks) in the intervention group. On the other hand, the mean Faecal Coliform (FC) count in the drinking water of the households using (unknowingly) Placebo for the water treatment ranged between 642 CFU/100 ml to 1023 CFU/100 ml during the 4 trials (control group). This clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of Aquatabs in improving microbiological quality of the household water. Consecutive educational efforts by the investigator led to the mentioned gradual decrease of the mean Faecal Coliform (FC) count in the household water of the intervention group, since participants used more hygienic practices preventing secondary contamination. A statistically significant difference in occurrence of diarrhea was observed between the intervention and control groups, with only 13 persons from the former reporting diarrhea (as opposed to 42 persons from the control group, which consumed water treated with Placebo). This is certainly attributed to a disinfective action of the Aquatabs, decreasing occurrence of diarrhea in the intervention group. The questionnaire survey and personal communications with the participants have demonstrated that 86% of the households from the intervention group accepted Aquatabs as disinfectant for treating their stored water due to ease-of-use, storage, as disinfectant with minimal chlorine taste (nearly undetectable) and since the treated water was acceptable for cooking (not producing objectionable chlorine taste after boiling in contrast to other commercially available chlorinating disinfectants). This study supplements the pilot trial done by Ms. N. Afroz Molla (AIT MSc student) in the other slum area of Dhaka overcoming some of the shortcomings in epidemiological design of that pilot trial such as being only 1 month long and having no control group which limit its probative value with respect to health impact. |
| Year | 2006 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. EV-06-35 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Environmental Engineering and Management (EV) |
| Chairperson(s) | Shipin, Oleg |
| Examination Committee(s) | Nguyen Cong Thanh;
Aramaki, Toshiya |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | AIT fellowship |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2006 |