Robert Bain and colleagues conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess whether water from "€œimproved" sources is less likely to contain fecal contamination than "unimproved" sources and find that access to an "€œimproved source"€ provides a measure of sanitary protection but does not ensure water is free of fecal contamination.

An estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide lack access to improved sanitation facilities. While large-scale programs in some countries have increased latrine coverage, they sometimes fail to ensure optimal latrine use, including the safe disposal of child feces, a significant source of exposure to fecal pathogens. We undertook a cross-sectional study to explore fecal disposal practices among children in rural Orissa, India in villages where the Government of India's Total Sanitation Campaign had been implemented at least three years prior to the study.

A preliminary report of bacteriological analysis of water samples from wells and storm water drains along Colva creek has indicated bacterial contamination of water sources.

Fecal bacteria are frequently found at much greater distances than would be predicted by laboratory studies, indicating that improved models that incorporate more complexity might be needed to explain the widespread contamination of many shallow aquifers. In this study, laboratory measurements of breakthrough and retained bacteria in columns of intact and repacked sediment cores from Bangladesh were fit using a two-population model with separate reversible and irreversible attachment sites that also incorporated bacterial decay rates.

According to a World Bank Sponsored Study (State of Environment Report- U.P.) pollution levels in the Ganga are contributing 9-12% of total disease burden in Uttar Pradesh. The coliform bacteria levels are in excess of 2 lakh MPN as against the national water quality standard of 5000. The report estimated total health damage on account of water pollution in up to is around 6.4 million daily (Disability Adjusted Life Year).

Pit latrines are one of the most common human excreta disposal systems in low-income countries, and their use is on the rise as countries aim to meet the sanitation-related target of the Millennium Development Goals. There is concern, however, that pit latrine discharges of chemical and microbial contaminants to groundwater may negatively affect human health.

The contamination in Mavallipura has reached such an extent that the Karnataka Milk Federation refuses to procure milk from the farmers here, alleged residents of Mavallipura.

Speaking at a press conference here on Wednesday, the Mavallipura residents, under the aegis of Dalit Sangharsh Samithi (DSS) and Environment Support Group (ESG), hailed the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) order to close landfill. The residents said that the high toxic levels in the soil, water and air had made their lives miserable.

A study by international institutes, led by the Sanford School of Public Policy and the Duke Global Health Institute, has found that the drinking water of nearly 90 per cent of households in rural

GUWAHATI: A survey conducted by a voluntary association called ‘Jeevan Initiative’ has revealed the high presence of microbes in drinking water at various public places, including schools and hospitals in the city.

The association collected samples from drinking water facilities installed at 10 prominent public places in the city and found that all of them failed in the bacteriological test, while four of them failed even in the chemical tests, after it was submitted at the State Public Health Laboratory for analysis.

Kochi: In the abode of Lord Ayappa, devotees seeking a darshan must take a dip in the Pampa.

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