Water Quality and Community Behavior in Relation to Public Health Outcomes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53089/medula.v16i4.1577Keywords:
Community behavior, public health outcomes, water quality, water quality index (WQI)Abstract
Water quality is a crucial factor in maintaining public health. The quality of water is crucial for daily life, from drinking to household, industrial, and health needs. Water that does not meet standards can cause various infectious and chronic diseases. This article uses a literature approach through a review of various studies related to water quality parameters and their impact on health. Water quality can be measured using the Water Quality Index (WQI). Parameters that determine water quality include physical, chemical, and biological factors. Low water quality is associated with high levels of heavy metals (Pb, As, Fe, Cd), chemical compounds (nitrate and fluoride), and microbiological contamination (Escherichia coli). Water quality can be influenced by natural factors, such as rainfall, watershed geography, the atmosphere, and geology. Furthermore, water quality is also determined by community behavior, which in turn influences community health, such as industrial, domestic, and/or agricultural activities. Community behavior in water treatment and storage also influences the increased risk of diarrhea, cholera, and nervous system disorders. Water quality and community behavior play a significant role in community health. Cross-sectoral collaboration between government, industry, and the community is needed to maintain water quality and prevent waterborne diseases, thereby improving public health.
References
Nawaz R, Nasim I, Irfan A, Islam A, Naeem A, Ghani N. Water quality index and human health risk assessment of drinking water in selected urban areas of a mega city. Toxics. 2023; 11: 577. https://doi.org/10.3390/ toxics11070577.
Zainurin SN, Ismail W, Mahamud SNI, Ismail, I. Advancements in monitoring water quality based on various sensing methods: A systematic review. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2022; 19: 14080. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijerph192114080.
Chidiac S, Najjar PE, Ouaini N, Rayess YE. A comprehensive review of water quality indices (WQIs): History, models, attempts and perspectives. Rev Environ Sci Biotechnol. 2023; 22: 349–395. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11157-023-09650-7.
Luvhimbi N, Tshitangano TG, Mabunda JT. Water quality assessment and evaluation of human health risk of drinking water from source to point of use at Thulamela municipality, Limpopo Province. Sci Rep. 2022; 12: 6059. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-10092-4.
Shamsudduha M, Lee J, Joseph G. Assessing the water quality hazard and challenges to achieving the freshwater goal in Sri Lanka. Sci Rep. 2025; 15: 10187. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-93845-1.
Uddin MG, Nash S, Olbert AI. A review of water quality index models and their use for assessing surface water quality. Ecol. Indic. 2021; 122: 107218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.107218 (2021).
Suresh K, Tag T, Vliet M, Bierkens MF. Recent advancement in water quality indicators for eutrophication in global freshwater lakes. Environ. Res. Lett. 2023; 18: 63004.
Karim MR, Syeed MMM, Rahman A. A comprehensive dataset of surface water quality spanning 1940-2023 for empirical and ML adopted research. Sci Data. 2025; 12: 391. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-04715-4.
Ram A, Tiwari SK, Panday HK. Ground water quality assessment using water quality index (WQI) under GIS framework. Appl. Water Sci. 2021; 11(2): 46.
Gaur N, Sarkar A, Dutta D. Evaluation of water quality index and geochemical characteristics of surfacewater from Tawang India. Sci Rep. 2022; 12: 11698. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-14760-3.
Razman NA, Ismail W, Razak MHA, Ismail I, Jamaludin J. Design and analysis of water quality monitoring and filtration system for different types of water in Malaysia. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2022; 2018: 1-12.
Mortula MM, Atabay S, Ismail H, Aljafari N. Assessment of factors affecting bromate formation in drinking water bottles. Int. J. Hydrol. Sci. Technol. 2021; 11: 166-181.
Moreira VR, Lebron YAR, de Paula EC, de Souza Santo LV, Amaral MCS. Recycled reverse osmosis membrane combined with pre-oxidation for improved arsenic removal from high turbidity waters and retrofit of conventional drinking water treatment process. J. Clean. Prod. 2021; 312: 127859.
Madilonga RT, Edokpayi JN, Volenzo ET, Durowoju OS, Odiyo JO. Water quality assessment and evaluation of human health risk in Mutangwi River, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2021; 18: 6765. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijerph18136765.
Adeloju SB, Khan S, Patti AF. Arsenic contamination of groundwater and its implications for drinking water quality and human health in under-developed countries and remote communities: A Review. Appl. Sci. 2021; 11: 1926.
Ghaffari HR, Kamari Z, Ranaei V, Pilevar Z, Akbari M, Moridi M, Khaneghah AM. The concentration of potentially hazardous elements (PHEs) in drinking water and non-carcinogenic risk assessment: A case study in Bandar Abbas, Iran. Environ. Res. 2021; 201: 111567.
Maleki A, Jari H. Evaluation of drinking water quality and non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk assessment of heavy metals in rural areas of Kurdistan, Iran. Environ. Technol. Innov. 2021; 23: 101668.
Mitchell EJ, Frisbie SH. A comprehensive survey and analysis of international drinking water regulations for inorganic chemicals with comparisons to the World Health Organization’s drinking-water guidelines. PLoS ONE. 2023; 18(11): 287937. https://doi.org/10.1371/ journal.pone.0287937.
Grout L, Chambers T, Hales S, Prickett M, Baker MG, Wilson N. The potential human health hazard of nitrates in drinking water: A media discourse analysis in a high-income country. Environ. Health. 2023; 22: 9.
Su H, Kang W, Li Y, Li Z. Fluoride and nitrate contamination of groundwater in the Loess Plateau, China: Sources and related human health risks. Environ. Pollut. 2021; 286: 117287.
Nowicki S, de Laurent ZR, de Villiers EP, Githinji G, The utility of Escherichia coli as a contamination indicator for rural drinking water: Evidence from whole genome sequencing. PLoS ONE. 2021; 16: 245910.
Rahman MM, Kunwar SB, Bohara AK. The interconnection between water quality level and health status: An analysis of Escherichia Coli contamination and drinking water from Nepal. Water Resour. Econ. 2021; 34: 100179.
Edokpayi JN, Odiyo JO, Popoola OE, Msagati TA. Evaluation of contaminants removal by waste stabilization ponds: A case study of Siloam WSPs in Vhembe District, South Africa. Heliyon. 2021; 7: 6207.
Kaynar PM, Demli F, Orhan G, Ilter H. Chemical and microbiological assessment of drinking water quality. Afri Health Sci. 2022; 22(4): 648-652. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v22i4.70.
Premanath L. Sri Lanka water quality study. Washington DC: The World Bank; 2021.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Medical Profession Journal of Lampung
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
