Control of Water Quality in Houses of Pedra Branca Bahia, Brazil An Enviromental Education Action

M. F. M. Paixo (1), L. C. Porto (2), S. M.O. Brito (2)

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Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana. Laboratrio de Cincias Exatas LABEXA. + 55 75 88256692 fpaixao100@gmail.com Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana. Laboratrio de Cincias Exatas LABEXA.

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1. Introduction There is a consensus that to take care of water is a citizens responsibility, and environmental education has the responsibility to implement this practice. Pedra Branca Community and Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana (UEFS) are working together in a social project that aims to strength the economic and social aspects of the village and improve the rational use of water. As part of this work, we are doing water analysis at the houses village to give them information about it potability. This action is necessary to achieve the collaboration of the people living at that place, because they are very concerned about the problems of using contaminated water. The state of drinking water in Brazil should attend physic, chemistry, radioactive and microbiological potability parameters of Brazil Healthy Ministry. The aim of this work is to quantify some key variables and observe if it is accordingly to Brazilians Law. After we have completed it, some educations action is going to be done in order to help them to use water in a sustainable way.

2. Experimental - First some community members were interviewed in order to get some information about their concerns. Then the collection points were determined. Five strategic houses were chosen to collect water because they are near the river and the reservoir where the water begins to be distributed to the community. Accordingly the literature some analyses were necessary: turbity, color, pH, chloride, hardness, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)and chemical oxygen demand (COD) [1][2]. 3. Results and Discussion Analyses House 1 House 2 House 3 House 4 House 5

Table I. Water House Analysis Result

Hardness 8,53 0,61 mg/L (CaCO3) 10,27 0,23 mg/L (CaCO3) 8,67 0,23 mg/L (CaCO3) 8,53 0,23 mg/L (CaCO3) 9,73 0,46mg/L (CaCO3) pH 6,22 7,84 8,24 7,65 7,62 Color 30Uh 30Uh 40Uh 30Uh 30Uh Turbidity 4,58UTN 5,93UTN 6,61 UTN 4,32 UTN 5,21 UTN

Chloride 29,78 2,81mg/L 51,652,52 mg/L 59,89 3,43 mg/L 26,37 1,64 mg/L 29,67 1,65mg/L

All COD and BOD sample analyses results gave 0,0 mg/L of oxygen. The owners of the house 2 and 3 told us that they had added hypochlorite solution in their reservoir that was gave to them by the health agent in order to make the water potable. It makes the difference among them. Accordingly to the Brazil Healthy Ministry, Ordinance no 518/2004, the maxim value allowed is: chloride = 250 mg/L of Cl-, hardness = 500 mg of CaCO3, pH between 6,0 and 9,0; color =15 u; Turbidity = 5 UTN. As we can see in the table I, color and turbidity disagrees with the maxim allowed, so this water cant be considered potable. 4. Conclusions - Others analyses should be done in order to characterize the water potability. After them, we will have a meeting with the community to change information and to try get together some solutions that could help them to be sure about the water quality they are drinking. It will improve the healths community and conscience that the water is an important natural resource. Other actions will be done, including education for rational use and policies of conservation. 5. References 1. MANUAL DE PROCEDIMETOS E TCNICAS LABORATRIAIS; Escola Politcnica de Universidade de So Paulo, So Paulo, 2004.

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MANUAL PRTICO DE ANLISE DE GUA; Ministrio da Sade, Funasa, Braslia, 2004. BRASIL, Portaria no 518/2004, do Ministrio da http://portal.saude.gov.br/portal/arquivos/pdf/portaria_518_2004.pdf Sade, availabel in: