Water quality for human consumption in rural communities of the municipal district of Congo, PB

Abstract

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:SimSun; panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1; mso-font-alt:宋体; mso-font-charset:134; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:1 135135232 16 0 262144 0;} @font-face {font-family:"\@SimSun"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:134; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:1 135135232 16 0 262144 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} -->

The indiscriminate use of pesticides and fertilizers and  the lack of treatment of the animal and human dejections have been reducing considerably the readiness  of good quality water  in the rural zone. The research was carried out to evaluate the quality of waters used for the human consumption in agricultural areas of Congo region, Paraíba State, Brazil. The water was collected in a dam, wells and in a river, in two periods of the year, rainy (May/2006) and dry (December/2006). The variables that were measured were pH, CE, Ca, Mg, Na, K, CO₃, HCO₃, Cl, SO₄, Fe, alkalinity and total hardness. These variables increased in the dry period, except pH, whose variation was small.  The chemical composition of all waters was similar, being predominantly, chloride and sodium salts. In both periods, the waters of the wells presented more salt than the dam and the river waters. In agreement with the results of the pH, cations and anions, more than 60% of the collected waters, in both periods of this study, were considered adequate for human consumption.