Assessment of Drinking Water Quality in Storage Containers in Rural Rwanda

Introduction:
Safe drinking water is crucial for human health. But scarcity and disparities in
access pose global challenges. Developing countries, particularly rural areas, have significant
difficulties in accessibility of safe drinking water. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
6.1 calls for universal access to drinking water. Drinking water in households can be contaminated
by different factors such as poor hygiene and sanitation practices. Monitoring the quality of
drinking water in households can contribute to the well-being of people especially those living in
rural areas like Butaro.

Methods:
A quantitative cross-sectional study on the assessment of drinking water quality in
storage containers was conducted in Butaro sector, Rwanda. The study area was 3 cells (Mubuga,
Muhotora, Rusumo) surrounding Urugezi Marshland. Random sampling was used to obtain 270
household representatives. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data related to factors that
can affect drinking water quality in households and drinking water samples were collected from
households drinking water storage containers. Collected water samples were tested for pH,
turbidity, and microbiological contamination including Total coliforms, fecal coliforms, and E.coli.
. Laboratory results were analyzed by comparing them to the national drinking water standard set
by Rwanda Standard Board (RSB).

Result:
Males comprised 37% while females accounted for 63%, with the most prevalent age
group being 30 to 44 years at 33.3% and the highest proportion of participants having a primary
school education level at 54.8%. Regarding physical parameters analyzed 56.7% of water samples
were within the acceptable range of pH and the majority of the tested samples 96.3% had an
acceptable range of turbidity. However microbiological tests showed that 57.4 % of water samples
were contaminated with total coliforms. Fecal coliforms were found in 35.9% of water samples
and E.coli was found in only 2.22% of tested water samples. The comparison to the standard
showed that 21.9% of water samples were safe for drinking as those samples meet the standard
regarding measured parameters. The bivariate analysis done showed an association of drinking
water quality with age group, education level, village, source of water, consistency of water supply
in public standpipe, water treatment, and frequency of toilet cleaning. The Multivariate analysis
showed the association of water quality with age with an odds ratio (OR) of 3.381. Protected
springs and surface water also showed significant associations with a lower odds ratio of having
unsafe water compared to using public standpipes. For protected springs the odd ratio (OR) was
0.260 while the surface water odds ratio was 0.243.

Conclusion:
The study revealed that the majority of drinking water stored in containers did not
meet national quality standards in Rwanda. Factors such as age, education, village, water source,
and hygiene practices were associated with water quality. To address this issue, collaborative
efforts are needed to implement One Health WASH interventions, particularly in rural areas, to
improve the quality of drinking water in storage containers. Regular monitoring is essential to
ensure the safety and prevent contamination of stored drinking water.