Practices and Perceptions of Biosand Filter Users in Treating Drinking Water in a Rural District of Zimbabwe

KANDA Artwell; GOTOSA Jephita; MASAMHA Blessing; NYAMADZAWO George; MISI Shepherd Norman

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11

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Practices and Perceptions of Biosand Filter Users in Treating Drinking Water in a Rural District of Zimbabwe

KANDA Artwell, GOTOSA Jephita, MASAMHA Blessing, NYAMADZAWO George, MISI Shepherd Norman

Published in International Journal of Science, Technology and Society (Volume 2, Issue 1)

Received: 15 December 2013 Published: 10 January 2014

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Abstract

A field survey was conducted in Bindura district of Zimbabwe in January 2012 to evaluate the perceptions and practices of rural households on biosand filters after two years of use. A questionnaire was administered to 33 sampled households during an unannounced visit to solicit information on demography, use of biosand filters and safe water storage. A field kit (Oxfam delAgua) was used to estimate faecal coliforms in 83 water samples drawn from the household source (17), filter-spout (33) and storage vessel (33). Results indicate that biosand filters were structurally intact and operational with a mean treatment efficiency of 95.9±1.4% (n=33) suggesting a high sustained use. Households (n=33) expressed great satisfaction with the use of biosand filters as they got adequate drinking water (90.9%). Households cited improved health (100%), clean water (100%); good taste (100%) and ease of use (90.9%) as perceived benefits of using the biosand filter. The mean faecal coliform level of biosand filter-treated water (3.2±1.4cfu/100ml) was significantly lower than that of source water (37.1±8.9cfu/100ml) (p<0.05). Biosand filters (78.8%) provided safe drinking water (0cfu/100ml) but were recontaminated (26.9%, n=26) during storage. Poor household hygiene, unrecommended storage methods and withdrawal practices were attributed to recontamination of stored treated water.

Published in	International Journal of Science, Technology and Society (Volume 2, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11
Page(s)	1-5
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2014. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Biosand Filter, Household Water Treatment, Safe Water Storage, User Perceptions

References

[1]	J. C. Vanderzwaag, J.W. Atwater, K. H. Bartlett, and D. Baker, "Field evaluation of long-term performance and use biosand filter in Posoltega, Nicaragua," Water quality Res. Journal, Canada, Vol. 44, No. 2, 2009.
[2]	World Health Organisation/United Nations Children’s Fund (WHO/UNICEF), (2009). "Diarrhoea: Why children are still dying and what can be done?" WHO, Geneva, Switzerland, 2009.
[3]	E. Fewster, A. Mol, and C. Wiessent-Brandsma, "The long term sustainability of household bio-sand filtration. People-centred approaches to water and environmental sanitation, 30th WEDC International Conference, Vientiane, Lao, PDR, October 25 – 29, 2004.
[4]	C. E. Stauber, G.M. Ortiz, D.P. Loomis, and M. D. Sobsey, " A randomised controlled trial of the concrete biosand filter and its impact on diarrhoeal disease in Bonao, Dominican Republic" The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and hygiene, 80(2), 2009, pp. 286- 293.
[5]	C. E. Stauber, G. M. Ortiz, K. R. Liang, B. A. Aiken, and M. D. Sobsey, "The biosand filter: A robust and sustainable technology for household water treatment in developing countries." Abstracts: ISEE 20th Annual conference, Pasadene, California, Epidemiology, 19(6), 2008, p. 5296.
[6]	W. Duke, R. Nordin, D. Baker, and A. Mazumder, "The use and performance of biosand filters in the Artibonite Valley of Haiti: A field study of 107 households." Rural and Remote Health 6 (Online), 2006. http://www.rrh.org.au (accessed: 16/09/2010)
[7]	M. M. Fiore, K. Minnings, and L. D. Fiore, "Assessment of Biosand filter performance in rural communities in Southern Coastal Nicaragua: An evaluation of 199 households." Rural and Remote Health, (Online), 2010, 1483. http://www.rrh.org.au/articles/subviewnew.asp?artcleID=1843 (accessed: 16/09/2010)
[8]	World Health Organisation (WHO) "Guide lines for drinking water quality, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland, 2006. http://www.who.int (accessed: 08/08/2010)
[9]	Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST), "The biosand filter specification sheet," CAWST, Calgary, Canada, 2008. www.cawst.org (accessed: 08/08/2010)
[10]	M. A. Elliot, C. E. Stauber, F. Koksal, F. A. DiGiano, and M. D. Sobsey, "Reductions of E. Coli, echovirus type 12 and bacteriophages in an intermittently operated household –scale slow sand filter, Water Research 42, 2008, pp. 2662–2670.www.elsevier.com/locate/watres (accessed: 21/03/2011)
[11]	V. Tellen, G. Nkeng, and S. Dentel, "Improved filtration technology for pathogen reduction in rural water supplies," Water 2, 2010, pp. 285-306. www.mdpi.com/journal/water (accessed: 14/05/2012)
[12]	K. Liang, M. D. Sobsey, and C. E. Stauber, "Improving household drinking water: Use of biosand filters in Cambodia," Water and Sanitation Programme, Field Note, May 2010.

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APA Style

KANDA Artwell, GOTOSA Jephita, MASAMHA Blessing, NYAMADZAWO George, MISI Shepherd Norman. (2014). Practices and Perceptions of Biosand Filter Users in Treating Drinking Water in a Rural District of Zimbabwe. International Journal of Science, Technology and Society, 2(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11

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ACS Style

KANDA Artwell; GOTOSA Jephita; MASAMHA Blessing; NYAMADZAWO George; MISI Shepherd Norman. Practices and Perceptions of Biosand Filter Users in Treating Drinking Water in a Rural District of Zimbabwe. Int. J. Sci. Technol. Soc. 2014, 2(1), 1-5. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11

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AMA Style

KANDA Artwell, GOTOSA Jephita, MASAMHA Blessing, NYAMADZAWO George, MISI Shepherd Norman. Practices and Perceptions of Biosand Filter Users in Treating Drinking Water in a Rural District of Zimbabwe. Int J Sci Technol Soc. 2014;2(1):1-5. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11,
  author = {KANDA Artwell and GOTOSA Jephita and MASAMHA Blessing and NYAMADZAWO George and MISI Shepherd Norman},
  title = {Practices and Perceptions of Biosand Filter Users in Treating Drinking Water in a Rural District of Zimbabwe},
  journal = {International Journal of Science, Technology and Society},
  volume = {2},
  number = {1},
  pages = {1-5},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijsts.20140201.11},
  abstract = {A field survey was conducted in Bindura district of Zimbabwe in January 2012 to evaluate the perceptions and practices of rural households on biosand filters after two years of use. A questionnaire was administered to 33 sampled households during an unannounced visit to solicit information on demography, use of biosand filters and safe water storage. A field kit (Oxfam delAgua) was used to estimate faecal coliforms in 83 water samples drawn from the household source (17), filter-spout (33) and storage vessel (33). Results indicate that biosand filters were structurally intact and operational with a mean treatment efficiency of 95.9±1.4% (n=33) suggesting a high sustained use. Households (n=33) expressed great satisfaction with the use of biosand filters as they got adequate drinking water (90.9%). Households cited improved health (100%), clean water (100%); good taste (100%) and ease of use (90.9%) as perceived benefits of using the biosand filter. The mean faecal coliform level of biosand filter-treated water (3.2±1.4cfu/100ml) was significantly lower than that of source water (37.1±8.9cfu/100ml) (p<0.05). Biosand filters (78.8%) provided safe drinking water (0cfu/100ml) but were recontaminated (26.9%, n=26) during storage. Poor household hygiene, unrecommended storage methods and withdrawal practices were attributed to recontamination of stored treated water.},
 year = {2014}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Practices and Perceptions of Biosand Filter Users in Treating Drinking Water in a Rural District of Zimbabwe
AU  - KANDA Artwell
AU  - GOTOSA Jephita
AU  - MASAMHA Blessing
AU  - NYAMADZAWO George
AU  - MISI Shepherd Norman
Y1  - 2014/01/10
PY  - 2014
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11
T2  - International Journal of Science, Technology and Society
JF  - International Journal of Science, Technology and Society
JO  - International Journal of Science, Technology and Society
SP  - 1
EP  - 5
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7420
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11
AB  - A field survey was conducted in Bindura district of Zimbabwe in January 2012 to evaluate the perceptions and practices of rural households on biosand filters after two years of use. A questionnaire was administered to 33 sampled households during an unannounced visit to solicit information on demography, use of biosand filters and safe water storage. A field kit (Oxfam delAgua) was used to estimate faecal coliforms in 83 water samples drawn from the household source (17), filter-spout (33) and storage vessel (33). Results indicate that biosand filters were structurally intact and operational with a mean treatment efficiency of 95.9±1.4% (n=33) suggesting a high sustained use. Households (n=33) expressed great satisfaction with the use of biosand filters as they got adequate drinking water (90.9%). Households cited improved health (100%), clean water (100%); good taste (100%) and ease of use (90.9%) as perceived benefits of using the biosand filter. The mean faecal coliform level of biosand filter-treated water (3.2±1.4cfu/100ml) was significantly lower than that of source water (37.1±8.9cfu/100ml) (p<0.05). Biosand filters (78.8%) provided safe drinking water (0cfu/100ml) but were recontaminated (26.9%, n=26) during storage. Poor household hygiene, unrecommended storage methods and withdrawal practices were attributed to recontamination of stored treated water.
VL  - 2
IS  - 1
ER  -

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Author Information

KANDA Artwell

Department of Environmental Science, Bindura University of Science Education, P. Bag 1020, Bindura, Zimbabwe
GOTOSA Jephita

Department of Environmental Science, Bindura University of Science Education, P. Bag 1020, Bindura, Zimbabwe
MASAMHA Blessing

Department of Environmental Science, Bindura University of Science Education, P. Bag 1020, Bindura, Zimbabwe
NYAMADZAWO George

Department of Environmental Science, Bindura University of Science Education, P. Bag 1020, Bindura, Zimbabwe
MISI Shepherd Norman

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Zimbabwe, P.O. MP167, Mt. Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe

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APA Style

KANDA Artwell, GOTOSA Jephita, MASAMHA Blessing, NYAMADZAWO George, MISI Shepherd Norman. (2014). Practices and Perceptions of Biosand Filter Users in Treating Drinking Water in a Rural District of Zimbabwe. International Journal of Science, Technology and Society, 2(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11

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ACS Style

KANDA Artwell; GOTOSA Jephita; MASAMHA Blessing; NYAMADZAWO George; MISI Shepherd Norman. Practices and Perceptions of Biosand Filter Users in Treating Drinking Water in a Rural District of Zimbabwe. Int. J. Sci. Technol. Soc. 2014, 2(1), 1-5. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11

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AMA Style

KANDA Artwell, GOTOSA Jephita, MASAMHA Blessing, NYAMADZAWO George, MISI Shepherd Norman. Practices and Perceptions of Biosand Filter Users in Treating Drinking Water in a Rural District of Zimbabwe. Int J Sci Technol Soc. 2014;2(1):1-5. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11,
  author = {KANDA Artwell and GOTOSA Jephita and MASAMHA Blessing and NYAMADZAWO George and MISI Shepherd Norman},
  title = {Practices and Perceptions of Biosand Filter Users in Treating Drinking Water in a Rural District of Zimbabwe},
  journal = {International Journal of Science, Technology and Society},
  volume = {2},
  number = {1},
  pages = {1-5},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijsts.20140201.11},
  abstract = {A field survey was conducted in Bindura district of Zimbabwe in January 2012 to evaluate the perceptions and practices of rural households on biosand filters after two years of use. A questionnaire was administered to 33 sampled households during an unannounced visit to solicit information on demography, use of biosand filters and safe water storage. A field kit (Oxfam delAgua) was used to estimate faecal coliforms in 83 water samples drawn from the household source (17), filter-spout (33) and storage vessel (33). Results indicate that biosand filters were structurally intact and operational with a mean treatment efficiency of 95.9±1.4% (n=33) suggesting a high sustained use. Households (n=33) expressed great satisfaction with the use of biosand filters as they got adequate drinking water (90.9%). Households cited improved health (100%), clean water (100%); good taste (100%) and ease of use (90.9%) as perceived benefits of using the biosand filter. The mean faecal coliform level of biosand filter-treated water (3.2±1.4cfu/100ml) was significantly lower than that of source water (37.1±8.9cfu/100ml) (p<0.05). Biosand filters (78.8%) provided safe drinking water (0cfu/100ml) but were recontaminated (26.9%, n=26) during storage. Poor household hygiene, unrecommended storage methods and withdrawal practices were attributed to recontamination of stored treated water.},
 year = {2014}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Practices and Perceptions of Biosand Filter Users in Treating Drinking Water in a Rural District of Zimbabwe
AU  - KANDA Artwell
AU  - GOTOSA Jephita
AU  - MASAMHA Blessing
AU  - NYAMADZAWO George
AU  - MISI Shepherd Norman
Y1  - 2014/01/10
PY  - 2014
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11
T2  - International Journal of Science, Technology and Society
JF  - International Journal of Science, Technology and Society
JO  - International Journal of Science, Technology and Society
SP  - 1
EP  - 5
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7420
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20140201.11
AB  - A field survey was conducted in Bindura district of Zimbabwe in January 2012 to evaluate the perceptions and practices of rural households on biosand filters after two years of use. A questionnaire was administered to 33 sampled households during an unannounced visit to solicit information on demography, use of biosand filters and safe water storage. A field kit (Oxfam delAgua) was used to estimate faecal coliforms in 83 water samples drawn from the household source (17), filter-spout (33) and storage vessel (33). Results indicate that biosand filters were structurally intact and operational with a mean treatment efficiency of 95.9±1.4% (n=33) suggesting a high sustained use. Households (n=33) expressed great satisfaction with the use of biosand filters as they got adequate drinking water (90.9%). Households cited improved health (100%), clean water (100%); good taste (100%) and ease of use (90.9%) as perceived benefits of using the biosand filter. The mean faecal coliform level of biosand filter-treated water (3.2±1.4cfu/100ml) was significantly lower than that of source water (37.1±8.9cfu/100ml) (p<0.05). Biosand filters (78.8%) provided safe drinking water (0cfu/100ml) but were recontaminated (26.9%, n=26) during storage. Poor household hygiene, unrecommended storage methods and withdrawal practices were attributed to recontamination of stored treated water.
VL  - 2
IS  - 1
ER  -

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