Brazilian researcher Dr. Maria Therezinha Martins
with water
quality testing kit
Tracing
the development and use of water quality tests
1980: The Problem
The United Nations International Water Decade led to the installation of wells, pumps,
latrines, reservoirs, and sewage systems in villages and cities around the
world. These efforts were directed at increasing water supply. But the
protection and monitoring of water quality received scant attention. This neglect had long-term consequences,
including the persistence of water-borne illnesses such as cholera, diarrhea,
typhoid fever, dysentery, and hepatitis.
Sources of water must be properly maintained and routinely checked for
safety. In 1980, there was no simple way of doing this. Conventional tests
required trained technicians, sophisticated laboratory equipment, and expensive
supplies -- most of which were unavailable in small, isolated communities.
1983: Looking for Solutions
IDRC sponsored a seminar in Singapore to explore the possibility of
developing simple, reliable, and inexpensive water quality tests. The seminar
resulted in a study that incorporated several research projects on the feasibility of using non-traditional
microbiological procedures for testing water quality.
The first researchers were in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. They were
later joined by scientists in Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Morocco, and Peru.
When the study began in 1984, its goal was to evaluate the coliphage
procedure -- a method used to measure the presence of a virus as an
indicator for fecal bacteria. As the number of laboratory sites increased,
the research became more complex. The coliphage
procedure was compared to the effectiveness of three other tests:
the A-1 broth test, the Presence/Absence (P/A) test,
and the hydrogen sulphide paper strip test.
Scientists from the National
Water Research Institute of Environment Canada served as the study's
technical advisors.
1988: Results
By 1988, laboratory research on the tests was completed. (Water
quality testing in the tropics -- IDRC Reports, July, 1989.) Researchers reported that all four tests were effective
indicators of water quality and could be performed simply, cheaply, and
rapidly. The A-1 broth, the Presence/Absence, and the hydrogen sulphide
paper strip tests were all simplified and adapted to developing world
conditions. Dr. Wang Chee Woon of the
University of Malaysia developed a prototype of a portable coliphage
detection kit and field tested
it with successful results.
The full results of the three-continent, eight-country research project are
available in a report: Use of Simple, Inexpensive, Microbial Water Quality
Tests.The document also lists papers emanating from
the study that had been previously published in scientific journals. Additional
scientific information on the projects can be found on the page The Science of Success.
1990: Research Heads North
Members of the Cree Nation living in Split Lake, Manitoba had problems
with their water supply. Elders and children suffered regular bouts of
diarrhea, a particularly serious problem for infants. Water testing was of
little help -- samples had to be analysed in a laboratory in Winnipeg,
hundreds of kilometres away from Split Lake. Results took four to six
weeks to get back to the Cree, too late to take any action to improve the
water quality. Moreover, the band was never told about the health
implications of the test results.
Environment Canada scientists, who had collaborated on the water quality
testing study in the South, saw an opportunity to use the technologies in
Split Lake. After two preliminary studies to assess the performance of the
tests in northern conditions, IDRC accepted a proposal in 1990 to train local people to perform the
tests.
The project was a success; it showed that new technologies could be
mastered by communities possessing only modest technical training. When
contamination of samples was detected, household heads were informed of
the results and remedial measures were promptly applied. (Indigenous
Peoples Test the Waters -- IDRC Reports, April, 1993 and
"Technology from the South in Canada's North" in Health and
the Environment -- a People-Centred Research Strategy,Searching
Series 3,1992.)
Local water testing is now a permanent service in Split Lake, managed by the
Band Council of the Split Lake Cree First Nation and carried out by the two
technicians trained by the project.
1993: Technology Transfer
Cree technicians travelled to Chile for six weeks to teach members of the
Mapuche
people to run a water-testing program. Despite language barriers, the
Crees' skills and knowledge were successfully shared with the Mapuche.
(The
Knowledge Path from Cree to Mapuche -- IDRC Reports, April,
1993.)
Chilean researchers also experimented
with innovative methods of incubating water samples in remote communities
that lacked electricity. Researchers found that the constant temperature
in beehives allowed for the development and culture of the bacteria.
(You Can Drink The Water --
IDRC Reports, October, 1995.)
1996: Progress Continues
Health Canada, which is responsible for
testing the drinking water of
indigenous communities in Canada, has a contract with the Split Lake Cree to
train other First Nation members in how to assess water quality using the
Presence/Absence test.
In Malaysia, the coliphage
detection kit is in the final stages of production.
Moving Forward
Partnerships that have evolved over 12 years between researchers and
communities in North and South have shown that water quality can be tested
rapidly, affordably, and reliably in the field using simple methods. The next
step will be to incorporate the tests into a larger initiative on water.
A technology exchange was held in Costa Rica in August, 1996 during which
participants contributed to a how-to manual on improving drinking water.
The manual, which will be available later in 1996, will cover methods of
testing, treating, and protecting water sources and community
participation in sustaining water supplies.
Copyright 1997 © International Development
Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada
reference@idrc.ca | March 25, 1997
Resources
| Research Programs
| The Institution
| CRDI en français
|
