RDI: Water Quality & Rope Pump Report May 08
Water Quality Assessment of Hand Dug Wells
Introduction
Thousands of wells are being drilled in Cambodia each year, with the goal of supplying safe and accessible drinking water. The availability of clean drinking water is a basic right for all peoples. Unfortunately, many of these wells offer water which is either unsafe for human consumption and/or has such poor aesthetic quality that no one will consume it. Despite the potential magnitude of this problem, very little data has been gathered to prevent the senseless poisoning of villagers and the wasting of millions of dollars constructing wells that yield water of inferior quality.It is for this reason Resource Development Internatinonal (RDI) began exploring other types of water sources in areas know to have groundwater contaminated by arsenic. The impacts of arsenic on human health are well documented and removal using household level technologies has proven to be illusive. In the targeted area it was noted that a few eixsting handdug wells contained relatively little arsenic compared to adjacent tube wells.
RDI has completed an extensive drinking water quality survey of tube and hand dug wells in Kandal Province. Approximately 2,400 water samples were collected from tube wells and compared with 414 hand dug wells. Each sample was tested for 10 key parameters which include: Arsenic, Manganese, E. coli, Fluoride, Nitrate, Iron, pH, Turbidity, Chloride, and Hardness.