The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 6 on water and sanitation under target 6.1 envisions that by 2030 we should achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all and target 6.3 envisions that by 2030 we should improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing the release of hazardous chemicals and materials and halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally. This aligns with the provisions of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 under 43 (1) d which states that every person has the right to clean and safe water in adequate quantities and other legislations, regulations and policies in Kenya. These provisions of the law and international convention require that individuals irrespective of where their demographic, geography, occupation and social status are guaranteed access to quality water for their consumption.
It is thus needful to ensure that the water for domestic consumption is tested and confirmed to contain the statutory parameters in their right proportions. The physical/chemical parameters are pH measured on the pH scale, color measured in Hazen, turbidity with the unit measurement of nephelometric turbidity units abbreviated as N.T.U, total alkalinity, iron, calcium, magnesium, total hardness, chloride, fluoride and sulphate ions, total dissolved ions, manganese and ammonia all measured in milligrams per liter (mg/l) and conductivity (250C) with the unit measurement micro siemens per centimeter (µS/cm). The World Health Organization (WHO) standards recommends that the listed parameters fall within the following ranges: pH-6.5-8.5, colour, turbidity, total alkalinity, iron, calcium, magnesium, total hardness, chloride, fluoride, manganese and sulphate ions should be within the maximum of 15, 5, 500, 0.3, 100, 100, 500, 250, 10, 1.5, 0.3, 450, 1500, 0.2 milligrams per liter respectively and conductivity should be at the maximum of 2500 µS/cm.
In Kenya water quality testing is guided by the Kenya Bureau of Standards which has stipulated the use of (KS EAS -12:2018) standards that are similar to the WHO standards except for adjustments on the alkalinity limit to a maximum of 1500, calcium ions to 150 mg/l, total hardness to 300, nitrate ions to 45, manganese to 0.1, sulphate ions to 400, total dissolved solids as ions to 1000 and ammonia levels to 0.5 all measured in milligrams per litre (mg/l).
These parameters may vary from one sample to another due to a variety of factors. Some of these can be corrosion of the water piping networks which introduces contaminants, floods which cause severe damages to the supply infrastructure, leaks along the lines, disposal of effluents into the water sources etc.
Water quality testing is important for the following reasons: Foremost, to protect public health which is very critical as encapsulated in the Public Health Act and whose safeguarding is critical for human life. Waterborne diseases are considered amongst the highest causes of death globally. According to the World Health Organization there is 1.3 to 4.0 million cases of cholera, and 21,000 to 143,000 deaths worldwide due to cholera. Within the African region, it was reported that there was a total of 271,109 cases of cholera across 18 countries. Therefore, it is important to ascertain the quality of water used domestically to significantly reduce those statistics. Secondly, compliance with legal and regulatory frameworks. Kenya has its laws such the Constitution, the Water Act 2016 and other regulatory frameworks which require the quality of water consumed to be of good quality. Lastly, to support the maintenance of water infrastructure because it helps to detect sources of contamination within the system, allowing for the necessary action to be taken.
The Kenya Water Institute offers water quality testing services to individuals, industries, utilities, institutions and communities at a modest cost and issues the results in good time to ensure the quality consumed is safe. In case of any divergence from the base parameters, guidance is offered on what is to be done. The institute prides itself in a pool of competent staff in the water sector who deliver training and short courses on water quality testing for practitioners within the sector as a way of continually disseminating information and continued awareness creation on this important aspect of water.