Efficacy of human-animal shared drinking water sources in Nakasongola district
Abstract
Water quality refers to the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of water based on the
standards of its use. Its frequently used in reference to the set of the standards against its
compliance, generally achieved through treatment of the water, can be assessed. The most
common standards used to monitor and asses water quality convey the health of the ecosystem,
safety of human contact, extend of water pollution and conditions of drinking water. Water
quality has a significant impact on the water supply and often determines the supply options. In
the study Wabale village in Nakasongola District, due to the climate comprising of short
summers, hot, humid and overcast and the winters are long comfortable, muggy, wet, and partly
cloudy, Over the course of the year, the temperatures typically varies from 60⁰ F and is rarely
below 58⁰ F or above 95⁰ F, this kind of climate attracts pastorates to live within Nakasongola
coupled with grassland vegetation for animal feed ,Wabale village consists of wells and dams for
domestic water consumption, where by these are the same sources where animal like cattle,
sheep and goats get there water from ,the continued interaction of these water sources with
animals has led to water pollution within these water sources affecting its quality through erosion
and sediment transport into the surface water ,through urine, feces dropped by the animals and
fertility practices associated with production of high quality pasture and through pathogens from
the water.
The change in physiochemical parameters due to animal pollution has negative impacts on
human health, these pose a great danger to human life hence contradicting diseases like cholera,
typhoid fever and dysentery and in the long-term effects my include the damage of the kidney,
liver, bone and brain. This is after continued sharing of the same water with animals without any
treatment measure taken. Water was sampled from different sources of the shared waters
subjected to physiochemical analysis, physiochemical parameters were compared using a t-test at
critical p value of 0.05, there was a great significance in the PH (P=0.022), Color (P=0.039), TSS
(0.000). There was no great significance for the rest of the parameters in comparison with the
national water standards in the sources where samples were conducted. The analysis emphasizes
that the change of the water physicochemical parameters is driven by domestic animals in the
areas and it has a great negative impact on human life, the findings, therefore, demonstrate that
more effort should be put into monitoring and protecting specific areas for animals and those for
humans to reduce the dangers that are always caused by the interference.