Solar Disinfection of Drinking Water in Semi-Temperate Rural Community of Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

A significant number of the world’s population lacks access to safe drinking water, relying mostly on wells and streams, which are usually contaminated with faeces and other pollutants, as sources of drinking water. This results in many diseases that plague these communities, predominantly in rural areas of developing countries where there is abundant solar radiation all year round. SODIS is a popular method of disinfecting water with remarkable success in many rural areas globally. This method was used in Maza community of Jos North Local Government area of Plateau state in the current study. 2-liter PET bottles, differently modified, were filled with water and placed on corrugated roofing sheets for direct exposure to solar radiation. Some of the bottles were modified by painting them white, white with insulation, half black, black with insulation, and plain with insulation. Delagoa test kits applied to contaminated SODIS bottle showed rapid decrease in the concentration of pathogen at about 40 ⁰C. The Black painted Insulated modified bottle presented the highest maximum temperature of 62.0 ⁰C, which occurred around 2 pm, while the least maximum temperature (53.0 ⁰C) was obtained at the same time for the white modified bottle. Though the plain unmodified bottle showed the least temperature the value was higher than the ambient temperature of Maza. Contrasting the maximum SODIS temperature of the black modified bottle to the corresponding maximum value for the ambient temperature indicates a 29 ⁰C (96.7 %) rise in temperature within 6 hours. SODIS modification, therefore, enhances the temperature of water by several degrees, and can, therefore, be deployed as an alternative means for households in Maza community to access safe drinking water.