Impact of a School-Based Intervention on Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake Substitution by Water in Mexican Scholars.

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children has increased in recent years, associated with substituting plain water intake with sugar-sweetened beverages. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of a school-based intervention that aimed to replace sugar-sweetened beverages with water on Mexican scholars. METHODS: We included 314 children aged 9-11 from three public schools of the State of Hidalgo, Mexico, randomized to intervention (two schools from the municipality of Apan; six classes with 146 participants) or control group (one school from the municipality of Emiliano Zapata; six classes with 168 participants) and followed for 6 months. The intervention consisted of placing drinking fountains at schools and classrooms with nutritional education lessons to increase water consumption and decrease sugar-sweetened beverages. Mixed models for repeated measures were used to assess the impact of the intervention. RESULTS: At the end of the study, water consumption was higher (200 mL/day, p = 0.005), and flavored milk consumption was lower (94 mL/day, p = 0.044) in the intervention group compared with the control group. There was also a statistically significant reduction in energy (p = 0.016) and sugar intake (p = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: The school-based intervention favorably modified the consumption pattern of sugar-sweetened beverages and water in Mexican students.

Technological progress and coupling renewables enable substantial environmental and economic benefits from coal-to-olefins.

China's growing demand for bulk chemicals and concerns regarding energy security are scaling up coal-to-olefins (CTO) production. Three generations of independent dimethyl ether/methanol-to-olefins technologies have been successively launched with greatly improved production efficiencies. However, to date, widespread concerns regarding the intensive environmental impacts and potential economic risks have not been addressed in the context of this industrialization. Here we show that, through the technological progress from the first to the third generation, life cycle energy consumption, water consumption, and carbon emissions can be reduced to 119.5 GJ/t, 27.6 t/t, and 9.1 t CO2-eq/t, respectively, and human health damage, ecosystem quality damage, and resource scarcity impacts can be decreased by 40.5 %, 50.1 %, and 16.4 %, respectively. This is accompanied by an excellent performance in terms of production cost, net present value, and internal return rate at 792.5 USD/t, 173.4 USD/t, and 19.4 %, respectively. Substantial environmental and economic benefits can be gained by coupling renewables in the form of using green hydrogen from solar and wind power to synthesize methanol. Particularly, life cycle carbon emissions and resource scarcity impacts are reduced by 23.4 % and 22.4 %, respectively, exceeding the reduction in technological progress. However, coupling renewables increases the life cycle energy consumption to 154.5 GJ/t, counteracting the benefits of technological progress. Our results highlight the importance of technological progress and coupled renewables for enhancing the sustainability of the CTO industry.

Dynamic changes in water resources and comprehensive assessment of water resource utilization efficiency in the Aral Sea basin, Central Asia.

The Aral Sea Basin in Central Asia faces significant challenges in improving water utilization and treatment because of frequent transboundary river water disputes and shortages of water resources. However, the traditional water resource utilization efficiency (WRUE) assessment models generally have the defect of over-validating evaluation results. To solve this problem, this study used the Coefficient of Variation method to constrain the self-contained weights in the traditional Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to construct an improved CV-DEA model, and assessed the WRUE of the Aral Sea Basin countries during 2000-2018 and compared the WRUE with that of the countries in the Mekong River Basin and Northeast Asia, then explored the factors influencing water utilization. The conclusions were drawn: since 1960, the runoff from the upper Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers increased significantly, while the runoff from the lower Amu Darya River into the Aral Sea declined. Meanwhile, the water area of the Aral Sea shrank from 2.56 × 104 km2 to 0.70 × 104 km2 in 2000-2018, with the Northern Aral Sea remaining stable while the southern part shrinking sharply. The WRUE of the Aral Sea Basin (0.599, on average) was higher than that of the Mekong River Basin (0.547) and lower than that of Northeast Asia (0.885). Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan had the highest WRUE of 0.819 and 0.685 respectively, and the WRUE in both two countries improved from 2000 to 2018. Tajikistan (0.495) and Turkmenistan (0.402) experienced decreases in WRUEs. The high input redundancy of agricultural water consumption was the main driving force affecting WRUE in the basin.

A Smart Crop Water Stress Index-Based IoT Solution for Precision Irrigation of Wine Grape.

The Scholander-type pressure chamber to measure midday stem water potential (MSWP) has been widely used to schedule irrigation in commercial vineyards. However, the limited number of sites that can be evaluated using the pressure chamber makes it difficult to evaluate the spatial variability of vineyard water status. As an alternative, several authors have suggested using the crop water stress index (CWSI) based on low-cost thermal infrared (TIR) sensors to estimate the MSWP. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a low-cost wireless infrared sensor network (WISN) to monitor the spatial variability of MSWPs in a drip-irrigated Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard under two levels of water stress. For this study, the MLX90614 sensor was used to measure canopy temperature (Tc), and thus compute the CWSI. The results indicated that good performance of the MLX90614 infrared thermometers was observed under laboratory and vineyard conditions with root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) values being less than 1.0 °C. Finally, a good nonlinear correlation between the MSWP and CWSI (R2 = 0.72) was observed, allowing the development of intra-vineyard spatial variability maps of MSWP using the low-cost wireless infrared sensor network.

Changes in breakfast and water consumption among adolescents in Canada: examining the impact of COVID-19 in worsening inequity.

BACKGROUND: To assess whether changes in breakfast and water consumption during the first full school year after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic varied based on sex/gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status among Canadian adolescents. METHODS: Prospective annual survey data collected pre- (October 2019-March 2020) and post-COVID-19 onset (November 2020-June 2021) the Cannabis, Obesity, Mental health, Physical activity, Alcohol, Smoking, and Sedentary behaviour (COMPASS) study. The sample consisted of 8,128 students; mean (SD) age = 14.2 (1.3) years from a convenience sample of 41 Canadian secondary schools. At both timepoints self-reported breakfast and water consumption were dichotomized as daily or not. Multivariable logistic generalized estimating equations with school clustering were used to estimate differences in maintenance/adoption of daily consumption post-COVID-19 based on demographic factors, while controlling for pre-COVID-19 behaviour. RESULTS: Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals are reported. Females (AOR = 0.71 [0.63, 0.79]) and lower socioeconomic status individuals (AORLowest:Highest=0.41 [0.16, 1.00]) were less likely to maintain/adopt daily breakfast consumption than male and higher socioeconomic status peers in the 2020-2021 school year. Black identifying individuals were less likely than all other racial/ethnic identities to maintain/adopt plain water consumption every day of the week (AOR = 0.33 [0.15, 0.75], p < 0.001). No significant interaction effects were detected. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the hypothesis that changes in nutritional behaviours were not equal across demographic groups. Female, lower socioeconomic status, and Black adolescents reported greater declines in healthy nutritional behaviours. Public health interventions to improve adherence to daily breakfast and water consumption should target these segments of the population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not a trial.

Alcohol hangover versus dehydration revisited: The effect of drinking water to prevent or alleviate the alcohol hangover.

The alcohol hangover is a combination of negative mental and physical symptoms which can be experienced after a single episode of alcohol consumption, starting when blood alcohol concentration (BAC) approaches zero. A popular theory suggests that dehydration is the primary cause of alcohol hangover and that the consumption of water could alleviate hangover symptoms. Here, the current evidence on the relationship between hangover severity, thirst, and water consumption is summarized. The positive correlations of the amount of water consumed with both hangover severity and thirst suggest that both dehydration and the hangover are co-occurring after-effects of alcohol consumption. While hangovers were typically relatively enduring, dehydration effects were usually mild and short-lasting. Survey data revealed that water consumption during or directly after alcohol consumption had only a modest effect in preventing next-day hangover. Also, the amount of water consumed during hangover was not related to changes of hangover severity and thirst. Thus, water consumption was not effective to alleviate the alcohol hangover. Taken together, these data suggests that alcohol hangover and dehydration are two co-occurring but independent consequences of alcohol consumption.

Refracturing shale gas wells in China: Doubling water consumption for enhanced gas recovery.

Shale gas extraction in China often faces inadequate reservoir stimulation after initial fracturing of the wells, leading to production challenges despite abundant residual gas. Refracturing is an effective approach to enhance gas recovery; however, its impact on water consumption remains understudied. This study analyzes two refracturing techniques employed in China's largest shale production field, Fuling: temporary plugging and diverting refracturing (TPD) and wellbore reconstruction refracturing (WR), focusing on fracturing efficiency and water consumption. The results demonstrate that WR refracturing exhibits superior fracturing performance but consumes 1.3 times more water than initial fracturing. Considering 315 wells that required refracturing from 2013 to 2017, this study reveals, for the first time, that the lifecycle water consumption for shale gas production with refracturing is more than twice that without refracturing. The estimated total water consumption for the Fuling shale gas field over the next decade, incorporating refracturing, is approximately 7594.53 × 104 m3. By including the water consumption of refracturing, this study provides a more comprehensive evaluation of water usage throughout the entire lifecycle of shale gas development. The findings offer new insights for assessing water consumption in global shale gas development and highlight the importance of considering refracturing when evaluating the environmental impacts and resource management strategies associated with shale gas extraction.

Ten tips from the Swiss Working Group on Sustainable Nephrology on how to go green in your dialysis unit.

The health-care system and particularly renal replacement therapy has a significant carbon footprint adding to global warming and extreme weather conditions. Improving sustainability has become the focus of national and international working groups. Many reviews underline the need for improvement of sustainability in nephrology, in particular dialysis, and provide recommendations on how to reduce waste, energy, and water consumption. However, how to implement these recommendations, and where to start, is not always clear. This paper summarizes discussions within the 'working group on sustainable nephrology' of the Swiss Society of Nephrology. We do not provide a detailed review of the topic but instead present a practical 10-point action plan to help health-care workers in nephrology make a start and improve the carbon footprint of their dialysis centres. We emphasize the importance of ongoing research, cooperation, and dialogue, and welcome additional ideas from the wider renal community.

Heat transfer processes in 'Shine Muscat' grapevine leaves in solar greenhouses under different irrigation treatments.

The use of solar greenhouses in China is increasing because they permit environmental conditions to be controlled. Studies of the heat transfer processes in the leaves of plants cultivated within solar greenhouses are needed. Here, we studied heat transfer processes in 'Shine Muscat' grapevine leaves under moderate deficit irrigation (MDI), severe deficit irrigation (SDI), and full irrigation (FI) treatments under varying weather conditions. The stomatal conductance, leaf temperature, and transpiration rate of both shade and sun grapevine leaves were measured, and the effects of ambient temperature and relative humidity on these variables were determined. A thermal physics model of the leaves was established to explore the heat dissipation process. On sunny days, the transpiration heat transfer of sun leaves in the MDI, SDI, and FI treatments was 2.62 MJ m-2·day-1, 2.44 MJ m-2·day-1, and 3.86 MJ m-2·day-1and 0.818 MJ m-2·day-1, 0.782 MJ m-2·day-1, and 1.185 MJ m-2·day-1 on rainy days, respectively. There was a significant difference in transpiration heat transfer under fully irrigated and deficit irrigation conditions under different weather conditions. Furthermore, transpiration heat transfer accounted for 41.49 % and 25.03 % of the total heat transfer of sun leaves in the FI treatment and 33.94 % and 29.43 % of the total heat transfer of shade leaves on rainy days, respectively, indicating that relative humidity plays a key role in determining transpiration heat transfer and leaf temperature and that its effect was greater on sun leaves than on shade leaves.

Assessing radon hazard in drinking water: A comprehensive approach integrating deterministic and probabilistic methods with water consumption routines.

The research aimed to determine the spatiotemporal distribution patterns of radon activity concentrations in tap water of Yerevan city and assess radon-associated hazards using both deterministic and probabilistic approaches. This was accomplished by integrating one-year monitoring data of radon in water with water consumption habits among adult population clusters, which were identified through food frequency questionnaire in Yerevan. The study findings indicated variations in radon activity levels across administrative districts. The highest average activity concentrations were detected in Davtashen (7.07 Bq/L), while the lowest average was observed in Kanaker-Zeytun (1.57 Bq/L). The overall pattern of spatiotemporal variation during monitoring period revealed higher prevalence of radon in water in the northern and western parts of the city compared to the east and south, indicating different sources of drinking water. The radon-associated hazard assessment from water, using a deterministic approach (e.g., inhalation, ingestion, radon dissolution in blood, total effective dose), revealed values below the individual dose criterion (IDC) of 0.1 mSv/y. Monte Carlo simulation revealed a probability of exceeding IDC in specific water consumption-based groups. Residents of Yerevan who drink more than 3 L water daily with the highest observed activity concentration of 11.4 Bq/L, have an 86.26 % chance of exceeding IDC. Residents consuming 2.1 L water daily have a 7.02 % chance of exceeding IDC. The study highlights the importance of applied principles and methodologies for radon monitoring, particularly considering actual water consumption data and different risk assessment approaches. Considering the worst-case scenario results, it is recommended to keep tap water consumption up to 3 L per day, keeping the tap open longer to reduce radon levels. It also emphasizes the need for continued monitoring, given the variations in radon activity. The study provides valuable insights into radon exposure assessment, mitigation, and action plans in terms of water safety and public health.

Growth performance of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in aquaponic systems with varying densities of Vietnamese coriander (Persicaria odorata).

Mass cultivation of high-value aromatic herbs such as Vietnamese coriander and Persicaria odorata required specific soil, nutrients, and irrigation, mostly found in the limited natural wetland. This study aimed to evaluate the capacity of P. odorata at different densities in nutrient removal and the growth performance of African catfish, Clarias gariepinus in aquaponic systems. P. odorata was cultivated for 40 d with less than 10% water exchange. The effects of increasing crop densities, from zero plants for the control, 0.035 ± 0.003 kg/m2 in Treatment 1, 0.029 ± 0.002 kg/m2 in Treatment 2, and 0.021 ± 0.003 kg/m2 in Treatment 3, were tested on the growth performance of C. gariepinus with an initial density of 3.00 ± 0.50 kg/m3. The specific growth rate (SGR), daily growth rate of fish (DGRf), and survival rate (SR) of the C. gariepinus were monitored. Nutrient removal, daily growth rate of plant (DGRp), relative growth rate (RGR), and the sum of leaf number (Æ©n) of the P. odorata plant were also recorded. It was found that nutrient removal percentage significantly increased with the presence of P. odorata at different densities. The growth performance of C. gariepinus was also affected by P. odorata density in each treatment. However, no significant difference was observed in the DGRp and RGR of the P. odorata (p>0.05), except for Æ©n values. Treatment 1 had the highest Æ©n number compared to Treatment 2 and Treatment 3, showing a significant difference (p<0.05). This study demonstrates that the presence of P. odorata significantly contributes to lower nutrient concentrations, supporting the fundamental idea that plants improve water quality in aquaponic systems.

Analysis of environmental performance indicators for concrete block manufacturing: embodied energy, CO2 emissions, and water consumption.

Concrete block production significantly contributes to environmental degradation. A thorough understanding of its ecological implications is critical for sustainable development. This study investigates concrete block manufacturing's environmental impact by quantifying embodied energy, CO2 emissions, and water consumption via a comprehensive life cycle assessment. An extended life cycle assessment methodology is utilized to quantify the environmental indicators throughout the concrete block production lifecycle. Primary industry data and secondary research data ensure accuracy and reliability. Findings showed that concrete block manufacturing requires 2.5-4.1 times more embodied energy than equal clinker mass. Cement and aggregate production and transportation account for substantial energy needs. Limestone calcination during cement production causes significant CO2 emissions, 2.3-3.3 times higher than the minimum. Water consumption is concerning during curing and washing. Exploring alternative cementitious materials, optimized processes, and water recycling can reduce embodied energy by up to 75%, CO2 emissions by up to 67%, and water consumption by up to 80%. Concrete block manufacturing necessitates considerable energy and generates significant emissions. Implementing sustainable measures can minimize embodied energy, CO2 emissions, and water consumption, enabling environmentally responsible manufacturing. This research emphasizes adopting sustainability practices to mitigate environmental impact. Policymakers, industry professionals, and researchers can employ these insights to develop effective strategies promoting green manufacturing. The concrete block industry can contribute to a sustainable future through sustainable practices.

Effect of Climatic Condition, Type of Trough and Water Cleanliness on Drinking Behavior in Dairy Cows.

Increasing ambient temperatures lead to higher water intake and higher risks of microbial growth in cattle troughs. This study aims to analyze drinking water quality and dairy cows' drinking behavior (n = 8081 drinking episodes) on a commercial farm with 135 and 144 lactating cows in two climatic conditions, considering trough type and cleanliness, respectively. Daily video recording was conducted at two trough types (two open troughs, 70 L; two-valve troughs, variable volume of 5-15 L) in the first two hours after feeding (n = 60 days in total) under cold (December 2019-February 2020) and warm ambient temperatures (September 2021). The trough cleaning scheme allowed cows to access either cleaned or uncleaned troughs in each system. Water quality was tested daily and analyzed at the beginning and end of the trials. In warmer ambient temperatures, fewer and-at uncleaned troughs and open troughs-shorter drinking episodes were recorded, with longer but fewer water intake periods, longer drinking breaks, and fewer sips (p < 0.0001). Considering the drinking episodes, respectively, water intake and drinking breaks in number and duration, the number of sips and the number of agonistic behaviors might optimize dairy cow water supply and hygiene management.

Predicting the pulse of urban water demand: a machine learning approach to deciphering meteorological influences.

OBJECTIVE: This study delves into the impact of urban meteorological elements-specifically, air temperature, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure-on water consumption in Kamyaran city. Data on urban water consumption, temperature (in Celsius), air pressure (in hectopascals), and relative humidity (in percent) were used for the statistical period 2017-2023. Various models, including the correlation coefficient, generalized additive models (GAM), generalized linear models (GLM), and support vector machines (SVM), were employed to scrutinize the data. RESULTS: Water consumption increases due to the influence of relative humidity and air pressure when the temperature variable is controlled. Under specific air temperature conditions, elevated air pressure coupled with high relative humidity intensifies the response of water consumption to variations in these elements. Water consumption exhibits heightened sensitivity to high relative humidity and air pressure compared to low levels of these factors. During winter, when a western low-pressure air mass arrives and disrupts normal conditions, causing a decrease in pressure and temperature, urban water consumption also diminishes. The output from the models employed in this study holds significance for enhancing the prediction and management of water resource consumption.

estimation of ecosystem water consumption and the suitable scale of cultivated land in the Karamay region and Muzat River basin based on the optimized SEBAL energy balance model and water resource constraint model.

Food security is closely related to the development of human society, and the root of food production lies in cultivated land, with water conservancy as its lifeline. This study estimates the ecological water consumption of located in the arid region of Northwest China (the Karamay region and Muzat River basin) from 1990 to 2020 based on the optimized Land Surface Energy Balance Algorithm. The verification accuracy of SEBAL energy balance model is greatly improved after optimization. It was showed an increasing trend in the Karamay region and Muzat River basin, increasing at the rates of 2.84 mm/year and 2.86 mm/year respectively. The suitability of cultivated land was evaluated by combining four periods of 30 m spatial resolution land use/land cover data from 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020, as well as the Hydrological Statistical Yearbook and Xinjiang Statistical Yearbook. Through the analysis of spatial optimization for cultivated land, it can be inferred that the primary limiting factors affecting cultivated land suitability in the Karamay region are irrigation guarantee rate (54.03%) and soil salinity (11.98%). Muzat River region are irrigation guarantee rate (32.19%) and soil salinity (18.62%). By comparing the scenarios of setting ecological priority and cultivated land priority, it is concluded that under the conditions of water resource constraints and 50%, 75% and 90% design irrigation assurance rates, Karamay still has cultivated land expansion potential, which can be used as the main preparatory reclamation area. In addition to the traditional agriculture irrigation area, the Muzat River basin still has development potential under the condition of ecological priority and no more than 75% irrigation design assurance rate. The study on the cultivated land suitability under the condition of water resource constraints can provide new ideas for food security.

The Effect of Water during the Compaction Process on Surface Characteristics of HMA Pavement.

During the compaction process of HMA pavement, it is common to spray cold water on the wheel of a road roller to prevent the mixture from sticking to the wheel, which might deteriorate the bonding strength between the asphalt binder and aggregate, and consequently lead to surface polishing of the pavement. This paper aims to demonstrate whether the water used during the compaction process affects the surface performance of HMA pavement. In this study, the black pixel ratio and mass loss ratio were used to evaluate the water effect on the surface performance of asphalt pavement, considering the water consumption, molding temperature and long-term ageing process. The test results indicated that the water used during the compaction process would increase the risk of surface polishing of HMA pavement. This adverse effect became more significant if the HMA samples were prepared using greater water consumption, a greater molding temperature and a long-term ageing process. Moreover, there exists a certain correlation between the black pixel ratio and mass loss ratio, and their relationships were demonstrated by the experimental results in this study. It is recommended that further research concentrates on the influencing mechanism and the treatment strategy for the adverse effect caused by the water used during the compaction process. The use of more types of asphalt binders, aggregate and methodologies is also recommended in further studies.

Dry Matter Accumulation, Water Productivity and Quality of Potato in Response to Regulated Deficit Irrigation in a Desert Oasis Region.

As one of the most important food crops, the potato is widely planted in the oasis agricultural region of Northwest China. To ascertain the impact of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) on various facets including dry matter accumulation, tuber yield, quality and water use efficiency (WUE) of potato plants, a two-growth season field experiment under mulched drip irrigation was conducted in the desert oasis region of Northwest China. Water deficits, applied at the seedling, tuber formation, tuber expansion and starch accumulation stages, encompassed two distinctive levels: mild (55-65% of field capacity, FC) and moderate (45-55% FC) deficit, with full irrigation (65-75% FC) throughout the growing season as the control (CK). The results showed that water deficit significantly reduced (p < 0.05) above-ground dry matter, water consumption and tuber yield compared to CK, and the reduction increased with the increasing water deficit. A mild water deficit at the tuber formation stage, without significantly reducing (p > 0.05) yield, could significantly increase WUE and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), with two-year average increases of 25.55% and 32.33%, respectively, compared to CK. Water deficit at the tuber formation stage increased starch content, whereas water deficit at tuber expansion stage significantly reduced starch, protein and reducing sugar content. Additionally, a comprehensive evaluation showed that a mild water deficit at the tuber formation stage is the optimal RDI strategy for potato production, providing a good balance between yield, quality and WUE. The results of this study can provide theoretical support for efficient and sustainable potato production in the desert oasis regions of Northwest China.

Uncovering urban water consumption patterns through time series clustering and entropy analysis.

Sustainable urban water management is crucial for meeting the growing demands of urban populations. This study presents a novel approach that combines time series clustering, seasonal analysis, and entropy analysis to uncover residential water consumption patterns and their drivers. Using a three-year dataset from the SmartH2o project, encompassing 374 households, we identify nine distinct water consumption patterns through time series clustering, leveraging Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) as the optimal similarity measure. Multiple linear regression reveals key household characteristics influencing water usage behaviors, such as the number of bathrooms and appliance efficiency ratings. Seasonal analysis uncovers temporal dynamics, highlighting shifts towards lower consumption during summer months and increased variability in transitional seasons. Entropy analysis quantifies the diversity and complexity of water consumption at both cluster and household levels, informing targeted interventions. This comprehensive, granular approach enables the development of personalized water conservation strategies and policies, empowering water utilities to optimize resource management and contribute to sustainable urban water practices.

Dynamic analysis of non-revenue water in district metered areas under varying water consumption conditions owing to COVID-19.

Increasing water demands and high water losses have rendered securing safe water challenging in the 21st century. Although non-revenue water (NRW), as a percentage of system input, has been commonly used by water utilities worldwide, in-depth analyses on the influence of water consumption fluctuation on NRW has never been conducted; instead, taking one-year average NRW volume has been recommended. Thus, this study analyzed the influence of water consumption fluctuation on NRW using the data of five district metered areas (DMAs) in Colombo City, Sri Lanka, and also by the network simulation analysis. The results showed that percentage and volumetric NRWs are strongly correlated with water consumption (r = 0.9373 and 0.9121, respectively) and with each other (r = 0.9977) due to pressure changes in water supply networks caused by water consumption fluctuation. Therefore, dynamic analysis of NRW by plotting DMA inflow and NRW against water consumption was conducted using the aforementioned DMA data and long-term (1956-2021) water consumption and NRW data in Tokyo. This method identified two factors influencing NRW: water consumption fluctuation and network leakage changes, and the results were verified; thus, it can be applied to NRW analysis even under the influence of high water consumption fluctuations.

Seasonal Variations in Household Water Use, Microbiological Water Quality, and Challenges to the Provision of Adequate Drinking Water: A Case of Peri-urban and Informal Settlements of Hosanna Town, Southern Ethiopia.

Several studies have been conducted on household water use and microbial water quality globally. However, studies that considered seasonal variability of household water use and microbial water quality were limited. Therefore, this study investigated the seasonal variability of household water use, microbiological water quality, and challenges to the provision of adequate water in the peri-urban and informal settlements of Hosanna town, Southern Ethiopia. A longitudinal study was conducted on 288 households. The data was gathered using a pretested structured questionnaire, laboratory-analysis, interviews, storage-container inventories, focus group discussions, key-informant interviews, and an observational checklist. The data was analyzed using stepwise-multiple linear regression, bivariate and multivariable logistic regression, thematic-analysis, t-tests, and non-parametric-tests. Households were visited for 7 consecutive days during the dry and rainy seasons to account for changes in daily and seasonal variation of water use. 440 stored water and 12 source samples were analyzed for E. coli presence during dry and rainy seasons. The prevalence of stored water contamination with E. coli was 43.2% and 34.5% during the dry and rainy seasons, respectively. The per capita water consumption was 19.4 and 20.3 l during the dry and rainy seasons, respectively. Piped water on-premises, small family size, volume, and number of water storage containers were significant predictors of per capita water consumption in both seasons. Piped water off-premises, storing water for more than 3 days, uncovered, and wide-mouthed water storage containers were significantly associated with the presence of E. coli in water in both seasons. Seasonal variability of household water use and microbiological water quality was statistically significant, which is a significant public health concern and needs intervention to enhance water quantity and quality to mitigate the risk of waterborne diseases. Findings also suggest seasonal monitoring of the safety of drinking water to ensure that the water is safe and healthy.