Cisternas domiciliares: qualidade da água para consumo humano em comunidades rurais do semiárido Sergipano

Abstract

Rainwater harvesting and storage technologies have improved access to water and, consequently, the lives of rural communities in the semiarid region of Brazil. In regions with scarce rainfall, these systems have aided in the supply for human consumption, especially in the dry season, however the monitoring and control of water quality must be carried out to reduce the health risks of the beneficiary populations. This study aimed to evaluate the management and quality of water stored in household cisterns for human consumption in rural communities in the municipalities of Simão Dias and Tobias Barreto in Sergipe. The methodology adopted was qualitative and quantitative, developed with the application of 44 forms for socio-environmental diagnosis of the families and collection of 44 samples of water stored in cisterns for analysis in the laboratory. The parameters electrical conductivity, turbidity, salinity, total dissolved solids, color, chloride, fluoride, alkalinity, hardness, total coliforms and Escherichia coli were adopted for water quality analysis and evaluation.. As the rainwater stored by sometimes does not meet the demands of families, the use of water from other sources, called a The results of the physico-chemical analysis of the 44 samples revealed that the rainwater quality meets the drinking standards established by Ordinance 2,914 / 11, however the fluoride levels found in the rainwater and mixed waters were below the recommended level and Do not guarantee the prevention of dental cavities of tank usersmixed, and brought by car-kite is deposited in cisterns, which can change the quality of water. Microbiological evaluation of water revealed contamination by total coliforms in all cisterns of both municipalities and by E. coli in 100% of the households of Tobias Barreto and 75% of those of Simão Dias, rendering the water unfit for human consumption. The sanitary commitment of the water is possibly related to the deficiencies in the maintenance and conservation of the system of capture and storage of water like roofs, gutters, ducts and cistern; nd the management of users in the removal of water from cisterns, in which the use of buckets attached to ropes predominates. The training and mobilization of the beneficiaries of the cisterns are central aspects for better water quality, in order to minimize possible health risks and ensure the correct functioning of these systems.