Use of Affordable Materials to Improve Water Quality in Peri-Urban Settlements in Windhoek, Namibia

摘要

Water samples from Daan Viljoen dam, Avis dam and Goreangab dam were collected and filtered with burlap, cotton and polyester. The water samples were analyzed for the presence of total coliform, Escherichia coli, heterotrophic plate count (HPC), somatic coliphage, Clostridium perfringens, turbidity and conductivity. The bacteriological analysis was carried out by membrane filtration and pour plate techniques. The water from the three dams was found to contain high levels of microorganisms which indicated that it was not safe for human consumption. Turbidity was improved after filtration. Cotton filtered out the most microorganisms (p < 0.05) in all dams compared with the other two types of cloths.