Abstract:
The coastal aquifer is considered to be the only water supply source for the human being use in the Gaza strip. Due to the increasing of salinity and nitrate in the coastal aquifer, most of the water-supplying responsible bodies in the Gaza strip depend on brackish water desalination for drinking purposes. Hence, the aim of this study is to investigate drinking water contamination and to determine potential sources of contamination during the water production, delivery practice and in water storage tanks at the kindergartens premises in the Gaza strip governorates. A total of 123 samples were taken from 50 water storage tanks in the kindergartens, 43 water tankers and 30 desalination facilities in the Gaza strip and analyzed for the evaluation purpose of water quality parameters including: temperature, pH, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, hardness, chloride, nitrate, magnesium, calcium, fluoride, total coliform and fecal coliform. Results of physiochemical parameters demonstrated that the pH of water tested from private desalination units was found below the World Health Organization and Palestinian Standards drinking water acceptability standards. From a quality point of view, electrical conductivity, hardness, chloride, calcium and nitrate concentration levels for drinking water of all samples were found to be within WHO and PS drinking water standards whereas fluoride concentration levels were found to be lower than allowed by WHO and PS which required for dental health (1-1.5 mg/l). Bacteriological investigation results revealed that the bacterial contamination in water samples taken from kindergartens water storage tanks is relatively higher than those detected in samples collected from water tankers and desalination facilities outlet. There was no bacteriological contamination in the water samples taken from desalination plants outlet of North, Gaza, Middle and Rafah governorates. The contamination only found in the samples collected from Khanyounis desalination plants outlet with contamination percentage of total coliform (75%) and fecal coliform (66.66%). The findings of general survey conducted during this study showed that bacteriological contamination of drinking water in the kindergarten premises storage tanks and water tankers were the record significant source of contamination due to the unsafe storage system. Water transportation appears to be only one of the potential causes of final contamination.