The findings of the study indicate that the informal community has a detrimental impact on water quality. The Informal Community of Umlazi 3.2.2. Research Methods Used in the Current Investigation 3.3.3. i) Collection of water samples.
Water as a Resource
The destruction of the ozone layer has also been identified as a possible contributing factor in global warming. Furthermore, imbalances are created in the ecosystem when people strive to undertake the economic demands of the world.
CONTEXTUALlSATION OF THE PROBLEM
As a result, many informal settlements are located near water sources, especially rivers. In the absence of sanitation, these communities use shallow latrines; river banks etc.
AIM, OBJECTIVES AND HYPOTHESIS .1 Aim of the Study
However, without proper management, water as a vulnerable resource can become overexploited and overexploited due to the human need for modernity at the expense of the environment. The informal communities of Umlaz negatively affect the water quality of the Umlaas River.
CHAPTER SEQUENCE
CONCLUSIONS
INTRODUCTION
IMPLICATIONS OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES
The effect of man's social and industrial activities can also be seen in the extent to which a river changes as it flows from its source to the sea. During this process water is withdrawn for potable and industrial use and is returned to the river as effluent which is normally contaminated with some form of pollution.
ECOSYSTEM INTERACTIONS
One of the technical problems in remediating modern water pollutants is complicated by economic, social and political issues. A pollutant injected at one point in the cycle can carry over to other points, poisoning large segments of the cycle.
THE HISTORY OF WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS
As a result, the fields become less and less productive due to the pressure placed on the crops by the increased salinity of the soil. One of the consequences of this increased discharge is an increase in soil erosion and an increase in the specific content of river water.
HISTORY OF WATER QUALITY
Deforestation in the Central Asian mountain ranges reduces the rate of evaporation and subsequently greatly increases precipitation running off the land into the river systems. The total organic content of drinking water is in the form of dissolved organic carbon and is usually present at levels of approximately 5 mg.l.
WATER POLLUTION
The source of the mercury was eventually traced to the discharge of waste material from companies producing PVC in the affected area. One effect of this softness was to dissolve considerable amounts of lead from the water supply pipes in the houses of the town.
THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER
WATER NEEDS VERSUS WATER AVAILABILTY
Giardiasis, is currently the most common cause of waterborne disease resulting from the consumption of untreated, inadequate surface water in the United States. Excluding chemically bound water, the total amount of water on Earth is about 1.4 billion cubic kilometers.
SOURCES AND USES OF WATER
The largest industrial use of water is for cooling, accounting for about 50 percent of all non-agricultural water use in the United States. Although the amount of water used for firefighting is only a small fraction of the total water supplied. In agricultural terms, water supply becomes the primary criterion in the development of agricultural land and in the selection of crops.
In the United States, about 80 percent of domestic or domestic water demand per capital is wastewater, but other sources (infiltration, roof drainage, industrial discharges) often result in wastewater flows that are greater than water. demand levels. Water is "pure" only in its vapor state, and impurities begin to accumulate as soon as condensation occurs.
PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF WATER
CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF WATER
Typically, the ionic species present will come from the contact of the water with various mineral deposits. As with the major ionic species, most of the minor ionic species come from contact with water. In addition, some of the minor constituents, such as ammonium, carbonate and sulfide, may be present due to bacterial and algal activity.
A common source of inorganic matter in water is decaying weeds, leaves and trees. If the source of the contaminant is a continuous or one-time input, different measures will be required (Gray, 1994).
BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF WATER
Additionally, the types of measures that can be taken to control contamination of an underground aquifer will depend on the nature and source of the contaminants. Initially, the target of contaminating bacteria was Escheria Coli, very present in the human gut. Escheria coli is the best known member of the group of organisms used for bacteriological experiments.
Although E-col is part of the normal pathogens of the intestinal tract, some strains can cause moderate to severe gastroenteritis in humans and animals. EIEC strains invade colonic epithelial cells and cause diarrhea in older children and adults.
WATER IMPURITIES AND HEALTH
In addition, many of the classic waterborne infections (typhoid fever, dysentery and cholera) have been reduced to minor importance in developing countries (Keller and Wilson, 1992). However, these are only 25 percent of the world's population and are themselves endangered species. Water is insufficient for most of the world's population either because of its scarcity or the lack of distribution facilities.
Most impurities in water have some impact on the environment, and many impacts change markedly with concentration. Environmental changes, such as changing seasons or waste releases, can directly stimulate or limit one segment of the chain more than others, but since the entire chain is interconnected, all segments will be affected.
WATER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT
CLASSIFICATION OF TREATMENT METHODS
- PHYSICAL UNIT OPERATIONS
- CHEMICAL UNIT PROCESSES
- BIOLOGICAL UNIT PROCESSES
- WATER TREATMENT METHODS
Depending on their ability to support life, natural waters can be divided into oligotrophic, mesotrophic and eutrophic. These are cleaning processes where contaminants are removed by biological means. According to Gray (1994), biological processes are not used because most natural waters do not contain significant amounts of organic matter and biological processes are not appropriate in situations where contaminant concentrations are low.
In general, wastewater from biological treatment processes does not meet source standards for domestic water supplies. However, many local water supplies contain treated wastewater from upstream sewage discharges. For example, the New Orleans water supply contains discharges from Minneapolis - 8t Paul and all other communities in the Mississippi watershed.
LEGISLATION
SOUTH AFRICAN LEGISLATION
- NATIONAL WATER ACT (NO 36 of 1998)
- WATER SERVICES ACT (NO 108 OF 1997)
The role of the South African government, through the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, is one of leadership. As custodian of South Africa's water resources, the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry plays a leading role in developing guidelines and procedures for water resource management as well as ensuring that the country's water needs can be met. The Water Services Act (No 108 of 1977) (WSA) allows water boards to be established by the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry with their primary function of providing water services to other water services institutions within a specified area.
As a means of fulfilling the right to access sufficient water, the government has decided to provide 6,000 liters of free water per household per month, which contradicts the internationally accepted conventional wisdom that even the poorest should contribute to the cost of their water consumption (White Paper on National Water Policy, 1997). However, Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry Ronnie Kassrils outlined what led him to defy the orthodoxy of water experts.
CONCLUSION
STUDY AREA AND METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
- THE INFORMAL COMMUNITY OF UMLAZI - L. SECTION
- THE UMLAAS RIVER
- WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS
- CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS
- SAMPLING TECHNIQUES
- ANALYTICAL METHODS
- RESEARCH METHODS EMPLOYED IN THE CURRENT INVESTIGATION
This was maintained by the researcher who visited the study area, the Umlaas River and took a measurement of the distance of the informal community along the river. Mana!gement Laboratory to determine the concentration of indicators defined in the objectives of this study. The conductivity concentration in the Umlaas River is used to estimate the salinity of the river since conductivity gives an indirect measure of dissolved solids concentrations.
Nitrate is quantitatively reduced to nitrate by passing the sample through a copper-containing cadmium column. The combined nitrate and phosphorus loads therefore provide an estimate of the nutrient loads in the Umlaas River.
CONCLUSION
RESULTS AND DATA ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
DATA ANALYSIS
- E-COLl CONCENTRATION
- THE COD CENTRATION OF WATER
- THE TURBIDITY OF WATER
- ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY
- THE NITRATE CONCENTRATION
- THE PHOSPHOROUS CONCENTRATION
The COD concentration of the downstream samples (01-010) appears to be higher than the upstream samples (U1-U1 0). The electrical conductivity of the downstream (01-010) samples appears to be higher than the electrical conductivity of the upstream (U1-U10) samples. The average of the downstream nitrate concentration is 70.7 mg/1N, while the average of the upstream nitrate concentration is 46.8 mgllN.
The difference in average of the phosphorus concentration downstream and upstream indicates a value of 883.94 mg/lP. The nitrate concentration is therefore higher downstream of the community due to the presence of raw sewage.
CONCLUSION
The COD concentration downstream of the Umlaas River appears to be much higher than upstream of the community. Turbidity readings downstream of the Umlaas River are therefore high due to the presence of the informal community that lacks these essential services. Nitrate concentration in the Umlaas River, especially downstream, was high, mainly due to the sewage content of the informal community.
The high phosphorus concentration downstream of the Umlaas River therefore indicates the nutrient load in the stream. Raw sewage therefore appears to be at higher levels downstream than upstream of the informal community.
RECOMMENDATIONS
It has also become apparent that the rapid urbanization that has occurred in the informal communities has played a major role in the deterioration of the water quality of the Umlaas River. This quantification of nitrate contamination from groundwater contamination must be assessed to counteract any future deterioration of water quality. Development of alternative sanitation systems, as sanitation affects the quality of life and the quality of water sources.
The education of these residents would also help to improve the quality of water in terms of the health of the rivers and;. All of the above are possible steps to be taken as a means of improving the water quality of the Umlaas River.
CONCLUSION
Like many other countries, human activities in South Africa are largely the cause of deteriorating water quality. Furthermore, the effect of man's social and industrial activities can be seen in the degree to which river water quality changes as a river flows from its source to the sea. In addition, there is an increasing public interest in water as a resource and an increasing awareness of the need to protect water quality.
Water quality research is therefore of enormous value, because water quality is dictated by a pattern of interactions and not by factors in themselves. It is further hoped that this research on water quality will prove to be of benefit to the communities, especially informal communities, and will assist policymakers in designing policies related to issues of sanitation and environmental quality, especially as urbanization increases.
Rotate the Cube: Environmental Strategies for the 1990s, An Indicator SA Issue Focus, A Joint Publication: Department of. Severn-Trent Water Authority Water Quality" Severn-Trent Water Authority, Birmingham. ed) Division of Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambriqge, Massachusetts.
