Comparative Assessment of the Quality and Potential Uses of Groundwater in a Typical Rural Settlement in Colombia
The Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (SDGs) establish the need to guarantee quality water for all people. In numerous rural settlements of Colombia, access to clean drinking water is a formidable challenge as frequently observed when waterborne diseases arise, mainly in vulnerable...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/4/667 |
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| author | Geraldine Jhafet Huerfano-Moreno Jose Ismael Rojas-Peña Yair Leandro Zapata-Muñoz Juan Manuel Trujillo-González Marco Aurelio Torres-Mora Francisco J. García-Navarro Raimundo Jiménez-Ballesta |
| author_facet | Geraldine Jhafet Huerfano-Moreno Jose Ismael Rojas-Peña Yair Leandro Zapata-Muñoz Juan Manuel Trujillo-González Marco Aurelio Torres-Mora Francisco J. García-Navarro Raimundo Jiménez-Ballesta |
| author_sort | Geraldine Jhafet Huerfano-Moreno |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (SDGs) establish the need to guarantee quality water for all people. In numerous rural settlements of Colombia, access to clean drinking water is a formidable challenge as frequently observed when waterborne diseases arise, mainly in vulnerable populations without basic sanitation systems. The main objective of this study was to assess the quality and potential use of groundwater sampled from 17 monitored wells in a typical rural settlement in Colombia. Water quality was determined by applying a quality index and performing a principal component analysis (PCA) to determine the weights of each parameter. The results of the Phosphorus, Nitrates, Thermotolerant coliforms and pH variables exceeded regulatory limits, mainly in areas affected by anthropogenic sources with an insufficient sewage network. Coliform population and NO<sub>3</sub> exceeded World Health Organization recommended thresholds for drinking water. Therefore, the qualities of the studied water samples were unsuitable for human consumption without prior adequate treatment and, hence, one recommendation is to regulate groundwater monitoring quality. In addition, unhealthy waste disposal practices should be abolished, while permanently controlled modern techniques should be introduced. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:59:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-479482019cff4511961bd9dece1798ce |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:59:35Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-479482019cff4511961bd9dece1798ce2023-11-16T23:51:50ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412023-02-0115466710.3390/w15040667Comparative Assessment of the Quality and Potential Uses of Groundwater in a Typical Rural Settlement in ColombiaGeraldine Jhafet Huerfano-Moreno0Jose Ismael Rojas-Peña1Yair Leandro Zapata-Muñoz2Juan Manuel Trujillo-González3Marco Aurelio Torres-Mora4Francisco J. García-Navarro5Raimundo Jiménez-Ballesta6Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales de la Orinoquia Colombiana ICAOC, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad de Los Llanos, Campus Barcelona, Villavicencio 500001, ColombiaInstituto de Ciencias Ambientales de la Orinoquia Colombiana ICAOC, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad de Los Llanos, Campus Barcelona, Villavicencio 500001, ColombiaInstituto de Ciencias Ambientales de la Orinoquia Colombiana ICAOC, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad de Los Llanos, Campus Barcelona, Villavicencio 500001, ColombiaInstituto de Ciencias Ambientales de la Orinoquia Colombiana ICAOC, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad de Los Llanos, Campus Barcelona, Villavicencio 500001, ColombiaInstituto de Ciencias Ambientales de la Orinoquia Colombiana ICAOC, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad de Los Llanos, Campus Barcelona, Villavicencio 500001, ColombiaHigher Technical School of Agricultural Engineers, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13007 Ciudad Real, SpainDepartment of Geology and Geochemistry, Autonoma University of Madrid, 28049 Madrid, SpainThe Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (SDGs) establish the need to guarantee quality water for all people. In numerous rural settlements of Colombia, access to clean drinking water is a formidable challenge as frequently observed when waterborne diseases arise, mainly in vulnerable populations without basic sanitation systems. The main objective of this study was to assess the quality and potential use of groundwater sampled from 17 monitored wells in a typical rural settlement in Colombia. Water quality was determined by applying a quality index and performing a principal component analysis (PCA) to determine the weights of each parameter. The results of the Phosphorus, Nitrates, Thermotolerant coliforms and pH variables exceeded regulatory limits, mainly in areas affected by anthropogenic sources with an insufficient sewage network. Coliform population and NO<sub>3</sub> exceeded World Health Organization recommended thresholds for drinking water. Therefore, the qualities of the studied water samples were unsuitable for human consumption without prior adequate treatment and, hence, one recommendation is to regulate groundwater monitoring quality. In addition, unhealthy waste disposal practices should be abolished, while permanently controlled modern techniques should be introduced.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/4/667groundwater qualitygroundwater assessmentgroundwater pollutiongroundwater spatial variation |
| spellingShingle | Geraldine Jhafet Huerfano-Moreno Jose Ismael Rojas-Peña Yair Leandro Zapata-Muñoz Juan Manuel Trujillo-González Marco Aurelio Torres-Mora Francisco J. García-Navarro Raimundo Jiménez-Ballesta Comparative Assessment of the Quality and Potential Uses of Groundwater in a Typical Rural Settlement in Colombia Water groundwater quality groundwater assessment groundwater pollution groundwater spatial variation |
| title | Comparative Assessment of the Quality and Potential Uses of Groundwater in a Typical Rural Settlement in Colombia |
| title_full | Comparative Assessment of the Quality and Potential Uses of Groundwater in a Typical Rural Settlement in Colombia |
| title_fullStr | Comparative Assessment of the Quality and Potential Uses of Groundwater in a Typical Rural Settlement in Colombia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative Assessment of the Quality and Potential Uses of Groundwater in a Typical Rural Settlement in Colombia |
| title_short | Comparative Assessment of the Quality and Potential Uses of Groundwater in a Typical Rural Settlement in Colombia |
| title_sort | comparative assessment of the quality and potential uses of groundwater in a typical rural settlement in colombia |
| topic | groundwater quality groundwater assessment groundwater pollution groundwater spatial variation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/4/667 |
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