Hydro-Geochemistry and Application of Water Quality Index (WQI) for Ground Water Quality Assessment, Wadi Al-Samen—Hebron—West Bank

Located south of the West Bank, Wadi Al-Samen is considered one of the most important sources of groundwater recharge for the eastern aquifer in Hebron. It is polluted by sewage originating from domestic and industrial consumption in the Hebron area. Water quality assessment is an important criterion for achieving sustainable development. To evaluate water quality, twenty samples were collected from groundwater sources for two seasons and were analyzed for Physical properties (Total dissolved solids (TDS), Electrical conductivity (EC), potential hydrogen (pH), Temperature (T)), Four major cations (Mg2+, Ca2+, Na+ and K+), and the Major anions (HCO-3, Cl-, and SO2-4);geochemical methods such as Piper scheme were used for the sample result analysis. To characterize wastewater components, six samples were collected from the Wadi discharge for two seasons and were analyzed (potential hydrogen (pH), Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solid (TDS), Total Suspended Solids (TDS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5), and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). The results of nitrate levels showed that 20% of the ground water samples exceeded the standard limit of the World Health Organization (WHO). The quality of drinking water was assessed using the Water Quality Index (WQI), which suggests that 10% of samples are classified from poor to very poor. The abundance of cations from highest to lowest was found to be: Ca;Mg;Na, and for the anions it is HCO3;Cl;SO4. The dominant hydrochemical facies of 35% of collected aquifer samples reveal that Ca-Mg-Na-Cl-HCO3 are in the domain. Evaluation of irrigation suitability was performed using parameters of Sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), electric conductivity (EC), and Salinity. The results in both rounds for EC showed that all water sources are suitable for irrigation according to Todd’s classification. SAR was not suitable in three water resources samples. Wilcox analysis for the two seasons revealed that 85% of samples are not appropriate for irrigation uses.

Assessment of Trace Metal Levels of Groundwater in Lubumbashi,Kampemba and Kamalondo Communes of Lubumbashi City,Democratic Republic of Congo

Trace metal levels of groundwater in Lubumbashi,Kampemba and Kamalondo communes of Lubumbashi city were assessed from October 2016 to February 2017.Two hundred forty water samples collected from twenty-two spade-sunk wells and twelve drilled wells in these three communes of Lubumbashi city were analyzed for their metal contents using ICP-SF-MS(Inductively Coupled Plasma-Sector Field Mass Spectrometry).Twenty trace elements including strontium,molybdenum,cadmium,cesium,barium,tungsten,thallium,lead,bismuth,uranium,aluminum,vanadium,chromium,manganese,iron,cobalt,nickel,copper,zinc and arsenic were recorded at varying concentrations in all the water samples and were compared with the WHO(World Health Organization),US EPA(Environmental Protection Agency)and EU(European Union)drinking water MCLs(Maximum Concentration Limits)for cadmium,barium,thallium,lead,uranium,aluminum,chromium,manganese,iron,nickel,copper,zinc and arsenic.Mean cadmium,lead,aluminum,manganese,iron,nickel,zinc and arsenic levels respectively exceeded the WHO,US EPA and EU drinking water MCLs in 6.66%,3.38%,26.67%,5.02%,30.03%,3.38%,1.64% and 5.02% of the samples with the highest mean levels of 116.89μg/L for cadmium,38.162μg/L for lead,2,712.5μg/L for aluminum,1,242.68μg/L for manganese,17,325.98μg/L for iron,64.647μg/L for nickel,9,900.72μg/L for zinc and 65.458μg/L for arsenic.Mean water pH values ranged from 4.7 to 11.1 with 19.17% of the groundwater samples having mean pH values outside the WHO drinking water pH optimum range values of 6.5-8.5,including 5.02% of the water samples which were acidic(mean pH values ranging from 4.7 to 6.4)and 14.15% which were alkaline(mean pH values ranging from 8.6 to 11.1).With such physicochemical and trace metal contamination status of groundwater in the three communes of Lubumbashi city,there is a high risk to the health of people who use that water to meet their drinking water needs.

Move More,Sit Less and Sleep Well:An analysis of WHO movement guidelines for children under 5 years of age

Insufficient physical activity(PA),prolonged sedentary behavior(SB)and inadequate sleep(SLP)are detrimental factors to population health.To address health issues caused by insufficient PA,excessive SB and poor SLP,the World Health Organization(WHO)updated PA and SB guidelines for all populations aged from 5 years to 65 years and older in 2020.For children under 5 years old,the WHO issued the first global guidelines for PA,SB and SLP(collectively refer to movement behaviors)in April 2019.The guidelines applied a holistic approach to promote health behaviors,filling the gap of no comprehensive global movement guidelines for young children.Although the guidelines for young children offer guidance for health promotion,some research and practice implications and other issues should be mentioned.This commentary includes considerations for the importance of the WHO guidelines for younger children,critical analysis of evidence for developing the guidelines,and recommendations for future research and practice.The aim of this paper is to further advance health research in younger populations.

Challenges in initiating antiretroviral therapy for all HIV-infected people regardless of CD4 cell count

Introduction:Recently published large randomized controlled trials,START,TEMPRANO and HPTN 052 show the clinical benefit of early initiation of antiretroviral treatment(ART)in HIV-infected persons and in reducing HIV transmission.The trials influenced the World Health Organization(WHO)decision to issue updated recommendations to prescribe ART to all individuals living with HIV,irrespective of age and CD4 cell count.Discussion:It is clear that the new 2015 WHO recommendations if followed,will change the face of the HIV epidemic and probably curb its burden over time.Implementation however,requires that health systems,especially those in low and middle-income settings,be ready to face this challenge on a large scale.HIV prevention and treatment are easy in theory yet hard in practice.The new WHO guidelines for initiation of ART regardless of CD4 cell count will lead to upfront increases in the costs of healthcare delivery as the goal is to treat all those now newly eligible for ART.Around 22 million people living with HIV qualify and will therefore require ART.Related challenges immediately follow:firstly,that everyone must be tested for HIV;secondly,that anyone who has had an HIV test should know their result and understand its significance;and,thirdly,that every person identified as HIV-positive should receive and remain on ART.The emergence of HIV drug resistant strains when treatment is started at higher CD4 cell count thresholds is a further concern as persons on HIV treatment for longer periods of time are at increased risk of intermittent medication adherence.Conclusions:The new WHO recommendations for ART are welcome,but lacking as they fail to consider meaningful solutions to the challenges inherent to implementation.They fail to incorporate actual strategies on how to disseminate and adopt these far-reaching guidelines,especially in sub-Saharan Africa,an area with weak healthcare infrastructures.Well-designed,high-quality research is needed to assess the feasibility,safety,acceptability,impact,and cost of innovations such as the universal voluntary testing and immediate treatment approaches,and broad consultation must address community,human rights,ethical,and political concerns.