Water quality monitoring: a correlation Between the bacteriological quality of drinking water and Diarrhoeal prevalence within the Koukamma local municipality
- Authors: Jacobs, Nathan Elmar
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Water quality monitoring stations -- Koukamma local municipality , Water quality management
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58882 , vital:60244
- Description: Background: Various studies have linked water quality and the prevalence of diarrhoeal cases within developing countries globally. The Emanti water quality monitoring system (eWQMS), representing the Kou-Kamma Local Municipality (Eastern Cape, South Africa), has often yielded non-complaint microbiological drinking water quality results retrospectively. This study investigated the relationship between the bacteriological quality of drinking water and diarrhoeal prevalence in children under five years of age within the Kou-Kamma Local Municipality from 2012 to 2016. Methods: A quantitative, descriptive, and ecological study design was employed retrospectively within the Kou-Kamma Local Municipality. Retrospective data collected from the Emanti Water Quality Monitoring System (eWQMS) represented the bacteriological quality of drinking water within the study area from 2012 to 2016. Concurrently, secondary data from the District Health Information Management System of the Eastern Cape Department of Health: Kouga Local service area was collected. The data represented cases of diarrhoea with dehydration in children under five years of age, reported at public health facilities within the study area retrospectively (from 2012 to 2016). Statistical analyses (Spearman's Rank Correlation) determined the relationship between the bacteriological quality of drinking water and the prevalence of diarrhoea in children under five years as per the retrospective period. Water samples were also collected for 2017 and 2018 to determine the presence of enteric pathogens in the municipal drinking water supply. Results: The study found that the Kou-Kamma Local Municipality had an overall noncompliance rate of 47% for the municipal drinking water supplied to the community from 2012 to 2016 (retrospective period). The difference in failure proportion (noncompliance) of water samples for the four climatic seasons where statistically significant (p=0.004). A significant difference was observed between autumn and winter (p=0.003) and autumn and spring (p=0.025). The failure proportion of water samples for autumn was significantly higher (mean = 0.603231, sd = 0.19528237) compared to winter (mean = 0.316675, sd = 0.19649776) and spring (mean = 0.374495, sd = 0.20626332). No significant difference was observed for the failure proportion of water samples between the various years of the retrospective period xvi (p=0.416). Children under the age of five accounted for n=460 cases of diarrhoea with dehydration at the public health facilities for the retrospective period. The Kareedouw area (n=196) and Joubertina area (n=134) recorded the highest diarrhoeal cases reported for the study period. These two areas both had hospitals that operated 24 hours a day; however, the differences in cases reported between the two areas was not statistically significant (p=0.179). Diarrhoeal case data reported between the various years within the study period were significantly different (p<0.001). The observed differences were between 2012 and 2014 (p=0.008) and 2012 and 2015 (p=0.001). The differences in the cases of diarrhoea with dehydration, in children under five years of age, were not statistically significant for the four climatic seasons (p=0.121). The relationship between the failure proportion of water samples and the prevalence of diarrhoea with dehydration in children under five years of age was statistically significant (p=0.001). The results revealed a moderate positive relationship (rs=0.434) between the bacteriological quality of drinking water and the prevalence of cases of diarrhoea with dehydration. Water samples were collected at various sampling points for July 2017 and November 2018 and analysed for enteric pathogens. Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella sp. and Shigella sp. were detected in such water samples collected. The relationship between the failure proportion of water samples and the presence of enteric pathogens was not statistically significant (rs=0.56723, p=0.240). Conclusion: The overall bacteriological quality of drinking water within the municipality was poor and likely posed a potential health risk to consumers. The study further revealed a steep rise of diarrhoeal with dehydration prevalence in children under five years of age during 2013, which decreased slowly during the years to follow. A moderate, positive relationship existed between the failure proportion of water samples and diarrhoea with dehydration prevalence in children under five years of age (rs=0.434, p=0.001 ). Therefore, municipalities should improve their bulk water infrastructure and drinking water disinfecting methods while realising the need for increased awareness of water-borne disease prevention. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
- Authors: Jacobs, Nathan Elmar
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Water quality monitoring stations -- Koukamma local municipality , Water quality management
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58882 , vital:60244
- Description: Background: Various studies have linked water quality and the prevalence of diarrhoeal cases within developing countries globally. The Emanti water quality monitoring system (eWQMS), representing the Kou-Kamma Local Municipality (Eastern Cape, South Africa), has often yielded non-complaint microbiological drinking water quality results retrospectively. This study investigated the relationship between the bacteriological quality of drinking water and diarrhoeal prevalence in children under five years of age within the Kou-Kamma Local Municipality from 2012 to 2016. Methods: A quantitative, descriptive, and ecological study design was employed retrospectively within the Kou-Kamma Local Municipality. Retrospective data collected from the Emanti Water Quality Monitoring System (eWQMS) represented the bacteriological quality of drinking water within the study area from 2012 to 2016. Concurrently, secondary data from the District Health Information Management System of the Eastern Cape Department of Health: Kouga Local service area was collected. The data represented cases of diarrhoea with dehydration in children under five years of age, reported at public health facilities within the study area retrospectively (from 2012 to 2016). Statistical analyses (Spearman's Rank Correlation) determined the relationship between the bacteriological quality of drinking water and the prevalence of diarrhoea in children under five years as per the retrospective period. Water samples were also collected for 2017 and 2018 to determine the presence of enteric pathogens in the municipal drinking water supply. Results: The study found that the Kou-Kamma Local Municipality had an overall noncompliance rate of 47% for the municipal drinking water supplied to the community from 2012 to 2016 (retrospective period). The difference in failure proportion (noncompliance) of water samples for the four climatic seasons where statistically significant (p=0.004). A significant difference was observed between autumn and winter (p=0.003) and autumn and spring (p=0.025). The failure proportion of water samples for autumn was significantly higher (mean = 0.603231, sd = 0.19528237) compared to winter (mean = 0.316675, sd = 0.19649776) and spring (mean = 0.374495, sd = 0.20626332). No significant difference was observed for the failure proportion of water samples between the various years of the retrospective period xvi (p=0.416). Children under the age of five accounted for n=460 cases of diarrhoea with dehydration at the public health facilities for the retrospective period. The Kareedouw area (n=196) and Joubertina area (n=134) recorded the highest diarrhoeal cases reported for the study period. These two areas both had hospitals that operated 24 hours a day; however, the differences in cases reported between the two areas was not statistically significant (p=0.179). Diarrhoeal case data reported between the various years within the study period were significantly different (p<0.001). The observed differences were between 2012 and 2014 (p=0.008) and 2012 and 2015 (p=0.001). The differences in the cases of diarrhoea with dehydration, in children under five years of age, were not statistically significant for the four climatic seasons (p=0.121). The relationship between the failure proportion of water samples and the prevalence of diarrhoea with dehydration in children under five years of age was statistically significant (p=0.001). The results revealed a moderate positive relationship (rs=0.434) between the bacteriological quality of drinking water and the prevalence of cases of diarrhoea with dehydration. Water samples were collected at various sampling points for July 2017 and November 2018 and analysed for enteric pathogens. Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella sp. and Shigella sp. were detected in such water samples collected. The relationship between the failure proportion of water samples and the presence of enteric pathogens was not statistically significant (rs=0.56723, p=0.240). Conclusion: The overall bacteriological quality of drinking water within the municipality was poor and likely posed a potential health risk to consumers. The study further revealed a steep rise of diarrhoeal with dehydration prevalence in children under five years of age during 2013, which decreased slowly during the years to follow. A moderate, positive relationship existed between the failure proportion of water samples and diarrhoea with dehydration prevalence in children under five years of age (rs=0.434, p=0.001 ). Therefore, municipalities should improve their bulk water infrastructure and drinking water disinfecting methods while realising the need for increased awareness of water-borne disease prevention. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
Zooplankton dynamics of Algoa Bay (South Africa) under varying oceanographic conditions
- Authors: Bizani,Mfundo
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Marine zooplankton -- South Africa , Climate changes
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/55943 , vital:54554
- Description: the ecological significance of ocean plankton in terms of nutrient cycling and energy transfer is widely recognised, as is their mechanistic link with both oceanographic processes and climate. Consequently, plankton are widely regarded as sentinels of climate change, principally owing to their responsiveness to changing environmental conditions. Developing an understanding of the ecological as well as socio-economic consequences associated with changes in marine plankton dynamics has emerged as a key issue worldwide. Though many exciting advances in this respect have been attained with the aid of long-term plankton time series (>50 y), global environmental datasets and innovative meta-analyses, building deep knowledge of regional bio-physical dynamics and responses to specific perturbed states remains an essential component of the collective effort. Algoa Bay, situated on the warmtemperate south-east coast of South Africa presents a unique opportunity to study key elements of plankton ecology relevant to climate change problems in the regional sense. The embayment is locally subjected to frequent wind-driven upwelling and regionally, to periodic mesoscale oceanographic forcing (e.g., large solitary meanders, Agulhas Current intrusions), all of which culminate in a complex physical and biogeochemical environment. Using zooplankton as the focal component and drawing from a multi-year monthly dataset incorporating a bay-scale sampling framework, the present study addressed three key hypotheses pertaining to 1) drivers of spatio-temporal variability, 2) biomass rate of change over temporal scales using time-series analyses, and 3) community responses to a bay-scale biological perturbation event. Zooplankton biomass exhibited prominent seasonal patterns with bimodal peaks corresponding with near-consistent year-to-year autumn and spring blooms. Overall, the spatial trend showed no heterogeneity, though statistical significance between-station variability was noted per season. An analytical framework involving generalised additive models revealed zooplankton spatial heterogeneity in Algoa Bay to be a function of seasonal variation in a suite of physicochemical variables, including the combined effects of temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, total nitrogen and silicate, but not ammonium, phosphate or chlorophyll-a (as proxy for phytoplankton). Fronts (including river plumes), warm water intrusion from the Agulhas Current, and wind-driven upwelling were postulated to be key driving forces. Structural breaks analysis performed on station-specific time series revealed significant incremental increases in zooplankton biomass over time, which in turn, corresponded with a gradual decrease in thermocline depth. The most pronounced increasing effect was associated with a period (2013– 14) of amplified land-derived nutrient input and increasing harmful algal bloom (HAB) activity. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Environmental Sciences, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
- Authors: Bizani,Mfundo
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Marine zooplankton -- South Africa , Climate changes
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/55943 , vital:54554
- Description: the ecological significance of ocean plankton in terms of nutrient cycling and energy transfer is widely recognised, as is their mechanistic link with both oceanographic processes and climate. Consequently, plankton are widely regarded as sentinels of climate change, principally owing to their responsiveness to changing environmental conditions. Developing an understanding of the ecological as well as socio-economic consequences associated with changes in marine plankton dynamics has emerged as a key issue worldwide. Though many exciting advances in this respect have been attained with the aid of long-term plankton time series (>50 y), global environmental datasets and innovative meta-analyses, building deep knowledge of regional bio-physical dynamics and responses to specific perturbed states remains an essential component of the collective effort. Algoa Bay, situated on the warmtemperate south-east coast of South Africa presents a unique opportunity to study key elements of plankton ecology relevant to climate change problems in the regional sense. The embayment is locally subjected to frequent wind-driven upwelling and regionally, to periodic mesoscale oceanographic forcing (e.g., large solitary meanders, Agulhas Current intrusions), all of which culminate in a complex physical and biogeochemical environment. Using zooplankton as the focal component and drawing from a multi-year monthly dataset incorporating a bay-scale sampling framework, the present study addressed three key hypotheses pertaining to 1) drivers of spatio-temporal variability, 2) biomass rate of change over temporal scales using time-series analyses, and 3) community responses to a bay-scale biological perturbation event. Zooplankton biomass exhibited prominent seasonal patterns with bimodal peaks corresponding with near-consistent year-to-year autumn and spring blooms. Overall, the spatial trend showed no heterogeneity, though statistical significance between-station variability was noted per season. An analytical framework involving generalised additive models revealed zooplankton spatial heterogeneity in Algoa Bay to be a function of seasonal variation in a suite of physicochemical variables, including the combined effects of temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, total nitrogen and silicate, but not ammonium, phosphate or chlorophyll-a (as proxy for phytoplankton). Fronts (including river plumes), warm water intrusion from the Agulhas Current, and wind-driven upwelling were postulated to be key driving forces. Structural breaks analysis performed on station-specific time series revealed significant incremental increases in zooplankton biomass over time, which in turn, corresponded with a gradual decrease in thermocline depth. The most pronounced increasing effect was associated with a period (2013– 14) of amplified land-derived nutrient input and increasing harmful algal bloom (HAB) activity. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Environmental Sciences, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04