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Water Supply Systems for Settlements with Arsenic-Contaminated Groundwater—Making the Right Choice

Authors :
Jasmina Agbaba
Malcolm Watson
Marijana Kragulj Isakovski
Uglješa Stankov
Božo Dalmacija
Aleksandra Tubić
Source :
Applied Sciences, Vol 13, Iss 17, p 9557 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2023.

Abstract

The environmentally and economically sustainable provision of safe drinking water remains one of the most significant public health challenges facing society. It is particularly difficult in small municipalities that lack the human and financial resources to maintain complex and/or expensive water treatment systems, especially in regions where the water is naturally contaminated with toxic substances such as arsenic. This paper analyses two municipalities (Kanjiža and Senta) in northern Serbia with groundwater arsenic concentrations significantly higher than the 10 µg/L maximum allowable concentration. Two different water supply approaches are compared: (1) local supply, where each settlement has their own treatment plant using existing sources; (2) creation of a centralised network, which connects several settlements together with better quality water sources. The analysis considers techno-economical aspects and the quantity and quality of available water, as well as the yields investment and exploitation cost projections for both approaches. The results demonstrate that for small municipalities, a holistic approach to decision making is necessary to find the best solutions for drinking water supply, which in the case of the two municipalities studied is connection to a centralised system supplied from better quality water sources and the creation of connections beyond municipal administrative boundaries.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20763417
Volume :
13
Issue :
17
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Applied Sciences
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.9ff76206a6624c369ee7202fb5865164
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/app13179557