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Point-of-use water treatment has received widespread application in the developing world to help mitigate waterborne infectious disease. This study examines the efficacy of a combined filter and chemical disinfection technology in removing bacterial contaminants, and more specifically changes in its performance resulting from seasonal weather variability. During a 12-month field trial in Chennai, India, mean log-reductions were 1.51 forE. coliand 1.67 for total coliforms, and the highest concentration of indicator bacteria in treated water samples were found during the monsoon season. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences in the microbial load of indicator organisms (coliforms andE. coli) between seasons, storage time since treatment (TST), and samples with and without chlorine residuals. Findings indicate that the bacteriological quality of drinking water treated in the home is determined by a complex interaction of environmental and sociological conditions. Moreover, while the effect of disinfection was independent of season, the impact of storage TST on water quality was found to be seasonally dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The appropriateness of any development technology depends on its suitability to meet the needs, circumstances and capacities of the people in a unique and challenging environment. This paper focuses on the importance of collaborative innovation that harmonizes technical ingenuity with user satisfaction while working within social and environmental constraints. The people of Mylai Balaji Nagar (MBN), a low-income, peri-urban community on the fringe of Chennai, India, were recruited to participate in the design of an alternative safe water system with researchers from the University of Guelph and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. The community obtains its drinking water from a nearby lake known to contain dangerously high concentrations of faecal indicator bacteria, implicated in diarrhoeal disease. This study employed a participatory design framework for the development of a safe water system capable of removing or rendering inactive bacterial pathogens and making the water safe for human consumption. Researchers undertook a five stage participatory design process modeled after participatory action research, to develop a household water filtration system. Following laboratory assessment to assess bacteriological and organics control efficacy, four treatment prototypes were presented to, and critiqued by, community representatives for their appropriateness to context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]