Classification and quality of groundwater supplies in the Lower Shire Valley, Malawi – Part 2: classification of borehole water supplies in Chikhwawa, Malawi

AM Grimason; TK Beattie; TD Morse; SJ Masangwi; GC Jabu; SC Taulo; KK Lungu

doi:10.4314/wsa.v39i4.17

Classification and quality of groundwater supplies in the Lower Shire Valley, Malawi – Part 2: classification of borehole water supplies in Chikhwawa, Malawi

AM Grimason, TK Beattie, TD Morse, SJ Masangwi, GC Jabu, SC Taulo, KK Lungu

Civil And Environmental Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper compares data gathered from a study of the chemical and bacteriological quality of drinking-water from 28 rural borehole supplies in Chikhwawa, Malawi, with a tiered classification scheme (Class 0 being ideal through to Class III being unsuitable for drinking without prior treatment) developed by investigators from the Institute for Water Quality Studies, Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa. In general, the majority of borehole water supplies were classified as Class 0 or Class I supplies based upon the chemical analysis and bacteriological examination. However the classification of a borehole water supply was variable and depended upon the parameter, date of sampling and whether or not it was based on the mean or individual concentration. A number of boreholes were classified as II or III as they contained elevated levels of fluoride and nitrate suggesting that consumption over short or prolonged periods of time may lead to adverse or serious health effects, such as skeletal fluorosis in adults and methaemoglobinaemia in infants. Research is required to develop practicable, affordable and sustainable methods to enable villagers to treat Class II/III water supplies and improve the quality of their drinking-water to a class suitable for human consumption.

Language	English
Pages	573-582
Number of pages	10
Journal	Water S.A.
Volume	39
Issue number	4
DOIs	10.4314/wsa.v39i4.17
Publication status	Published - 31 Jul 2013

Fingerprint

Malawi

Water Supply

Groundwater

borehole

water supply

valley

Drinking Water

groundwater

Methemoglobinemia

Forestry

Water Quality

drinking water

South Africa

Fluorides

Nitrates

Drinking

drinking

Research Personnel

fluoride

chemical analysis

Keywords

classification
water
borehole
Malawi
South Africa

Cite this

Grimason, AM., Beattie, TK., Morse, TD., Masangwi, SJ., Jabu, GC., Taulo, SC., & Lungu, KK. (2013). Classification and quality of groundwater supplies in the Lower Shire Valley, Malawi – Part 2: classification of borehole water supplies in Chikhwawa, Malawi. Water S.A., 39(4), 573-582. https://doi.org/10.4314/wsa.v39i4.17

Grimason, AM ; Beattie, TK ; Morse, TD ; Masangwi, SJ ; Jabu, GC ; Taulo, SC ; Lungu, KK. / Classification and quality of groundwater supplies in the Lower Shire Valley, Malawi – Part 2 : classification of borehole water supplies in Chikhwawa, Malawi. In: Water S.A. 2013 ; Vol. 39, No. 4. pp. 573-582.

@article{3a08018b58a64f5490be065b54df7157,

title = "Classification and quality of groundwater supplies in the Lower Shire Valley, Malawi – Part 2: classification of borehole water supplies in Chikhwawa, Malawi",

abstract = "This paper compares data gathered from a study of the chemical and bacteriological quality of drinking-water from 28 rural borehole supplies in Chikhwawa, Malawi, with a tiered classification scheme (Class 0 being ideal through to Class III being unsuitable for drinking without prior treatment) developed by investigators from the Institute for Water Quality Studies, Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa. In general, the majority of borehole water supplies were classified as Class 0 or Class I supplies based upon the chemical analysis and bacteriological examination. However the classification of a borehole water supply was variable and depended upon the parameter, date of sampling and whether or not it was based on the mean or individual concentration. A number of boreholes were classified as II or III as they contained elevated levels of fluoride and nitrate suggesting that consumption over short or prolonged periods of time may lead to adverse or serious health effects, such as skeletal fluorosis in adults and methaemoglobinaemia in infants. Research is required to develop practicable, affordable and sustainable methods to enable villagers to treat Class II/III water supplies and improve the quality of their drinking-water to a class suitable for human consumption.",

keywords = "classification, water, borehole, Malawi, South Africa",

author = "AM Grimason and TK Beattie and TD Morse and SJ Masangwi and GC Jabu and SC Taulo and KK Lungu",

year = "2013",

month = "7",

day = "31",

doi = "10.4314/wsa.v39i4.17",

language = "English",

volume = "39",

pages = "573--582",

journal = "Water S.A.",

issn = "0378-4738",

publisher = "South African Water Research Commission",

number = "4",

}

Grimason, AM, Beattie, TK , Morse, TD, Masangwi, SJ, Jabu, GC, Taulo, SC & Lungu, KK 2013, 'Classification and quality of groundwater supplies in the Lower Shire Valley, Malawi – Part 2: classification of borehole water supplies in Chikhwawa, Malawi' Water S.A., vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 573-582. https://doi.org/10.4314/wsa.v39i4.17

Classification and quality of groundwater supplies in the Lower Shire Valley, Malawi – Part 2 : classification of borehole water supplies in Chikhwawa, Malawi. / Grimason, AM; Beattie, TK ; Morse, TD; Masangwi, SJ; Jabu, GC; Taulo, SC; Lungu, KK.

In: Water S.A., Vol. 39, No. 4, 31.07.2013, p. 573-582.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

TY - JOUR

T1 - Classification and quality of groundwater supplies in the Lower Shire Valley, Malawi – Part 2

T2 - Water S.A.

AU - Grimason, AM

AU - Beattie, TK

AU - Morse, TD

AU - Masangwi, SJ

AU - Jabu, GC

AU - Taulo, SC

AU - Lungu, KK

PY - 2013/7/31

Y1 - 2013/7/31

N2 - This paper compares data gathered from a study of the chemical and bacteriological quality of drinking-water from 28 rural borehole supplies in Chikhwawa, Malawi, with a tiered classification scheme (Class 0 being ideal through to Class III being unsuitable for drinking without prior treatment) developed by investigators from the Institute for Water Quality Studies, Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa. In general, the majority of borehole water supplies were classified as Class 0 or Class I supplies based upon the chemical analysis and bacteriological examination. However the classification of a borehole water supply was variable and depended upon the parameter, date of sampling and whether or not it was based on the mean or individual concentration. A number of boreholes were classified as II or III as they contained elevated levels of fluoride and nitrate suggesting that consumption over short or prolonged periods of time may lead to adverse or serious health effects, such as skeletal fluorosis in adults and methaemoglobinaemia in infants. Research is required to develop practicable, affordable and sustainable methods to enable villagers to treat Class II/III water supplies and improve the quality of their drinking-water to a class suitable for human consumption.

AB - This paper compares data gathered from a study of the chemical and bacteriological quality of drinking-water from 28 rural borehole supplies in Chikhwawa, Malawi, with a tiered classification scheme (Class 0 being ideal through to Class III being unsuitable for drinking without prior treatment) developed by investigators from the Institute for Water Quality Studies, Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa. In general, the majority of borehole water supplies were classified as Class 0 or Class I supplies based upon the chemical analysis and bacteriological examination. However the classification of a borehole water supply was variable and depended upon the parameter, date of sampling and whether or not it was based on the mean or individual concentration. A number of boreholes were classified as II or III as they contained elevated levels of fluoride and nitrate suggesting that consumption over short or prolonged periods of time may lead to adverse or serious health effects, such as skeletal fluorosis in adults and methaemoglobinaemia in infants. Research is required to develop practicable, affordable and sustainable methods to enable villagers to treat Class II/III water supplies and improve the quality of their drinking-water to a class suitable for human consumption.

KW - classification

KW - water

KW - borehole

KW - Malawi

KW - South Africa

UR - http://www.ajol.info/index.php/wsa/index

U2 - 10.4314/wsa.v39i4.17

DO - 10.4314/wsa.v39i4.17

M3 - Article

VL - 39

SP - 573

EP - 582