Evaluation of a novel water treatment and storage intenvention in
Nicaragua
Macy J, Quick R
The cholera epidemic in Latin America has spotlighted inadequate water quality
and sanitation in the Region. The long-term solution to this problem would be for
every community to have piped, disinfected water as well as sewage treatment
facilities, but sufficient resources to provide such services do not exist. An alternative
strategy for improving water quality shows promise. This strategy has three parts:
[1] point-of-use water treatment with sodium hypochlorite solution produced locally
with appropriate technology;[2] safe water storage in special, narrow-mouthed water
storage vessels; and [3] community education [1]. A field trial in El Alto, Bolivia,
showed that a community of Aymara Indians using this intervention was able to
produce drinking water that met WHO guidelines for microbiologic water quality [2].
In a second trial in Montero, Bolivia, a group of households using the intervention
had 44 % fewer episodes of diarrhea than did neighboring control households [3]. To
evaluate this strategy in Central America, we tested a similar intervention in
Asedades, Nicaragua, a poor , rural community of approximately 1100 persons,
between January and April 1996.
A convenience sample of 100 households was selected to receive the
intervention, which consisted of an 80-liter plastic, lidded storage vessel equipped
with a spigot for extracting water (referred to as the "special vessel"); sodium
hypochlorite solution produced in the neighboring town of Boaco, Nicaragua, using a
Dip Cell hypochlorite generator (Magneto-Chemie, Ltd., Holland); and community
education. Between 8 and 11 January 1996, the community received education
about diarrheal disease prevention and proper use of the intervention materials.
From 11 to 17 January 1996, we conducted a baseline survey of demographic
characteristics and water-handling practices of each participating household. In mid
January, the community