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Abstract One of the basic goals of governments is that all people, whatever their stages of development and social and economic conditions, have the right to an adequate supply of safe drinking water and cooking that must be free of pathogenic organisms such as typhoid fever, dysentery, cholera, gastroenteritis. Water quality is the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of water that are suitable for daily use and comply with water standards guidelines. In Egypt, Nile River is the main source of water resources, where Egypt depends on it nearly more than 90% of its water needs. The Nile River is divided into two branches. Damietta Branch and Rasheed branch. The city of Alexandria is the second largest governorate in Egypt in terms of area and population density. It covers an area of thirtytwo kilometers along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the northern part of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The total population of Alexandria Governorate, according to the Population Agency at the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), is about 5 million and 230 thousand and 456 people on 2018. The number is increasing in the summer especially because of its strategic location on the Mediterranean Sea. Alexandria is an important industrial center as well because it attracts the tourist destination because of its nature and presence of Mediterranean Sea. Alexandria suffers from an increase in the population, where many people live on a small land area, leading to horizontal growth and high-rise residential buildings ,which led to pressure on infrastructure, especially on the efficiency of water supply system and distribution networks. Water transportation in the past was one of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks. Consequently, consumers were forced to install water pumps for sufficient and adequate water pressure. Water pumps are mechanical devices used to transfer water from one place to another as it pulls the water in high flow rate from the main pipe with a special hydraulic system and then expelled through the output pipe to buildings of high altitudes compared to the level of the watercourse. The main objective of this study was to assess the quality of drinking water produced after the use of water pumps in high-rise residential buildings in Alexandria Governorate. By assessing the quality of water and determining whether it conforms to the standards of Egyptian drinking water (DWS), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.EPA) standards and the guidelines of World Health Organization(GDWQ). In accordance with the Drinking Water standard of the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, the physico-chemical (Turbidity, pH , Residual chlorine, Total Dissolved Solids) and biological analysis (Total Heterotrophic Plate Count,Coliform bacteria (Total coliform, Faecal coliform), Streptococcus bacteria and Total Algal Count, were carried out in the laboratories of the Department of Environmental Health at High Institute of Public Health (HIPH),Alexandria University. These data were analyzed statistically using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Office 2008 programs. Summary 41 The study was conducted on high-rise residential buildings in Alexandria Governorate. where drinking water samples were collected from ten randomly-selected building and from each residential building two samples were taken. The first drinking water sample was taken directly without using water pump and the other sample was taken from a housing unit using a water pump. The total number of samples were 200 samples, 100 samples collected directly without the use of water pump and other 100 samples were collected using a water pump. A questionnaire sheet for personal observations and interviews with owners of these units was completed to collect information on: the source of drinking water, the type of water pipe used, the number of individuals residing in the flat and the pump power used. where units that use roof tanks and the pipes made of cast iron were excluded, the number of individuals residing in the residential unit was recorded and the average consumption rate was taken into consideration ,with the registration of the power of the water pump used in each housing unit. The results of laboratory and site analysis indicated the following: 1- Turbidity: The results of laboratory tests showed an increase in turbidity values in samples that use water pump than those samples do not use pump .All results were complying with National and International standard guidelines ( Egyptian, EPA, an WHO),except in case of samples collected from flats using old aging pump in building (10) which exceed the limits of Egyptian an EPA standards but complying with WHO. There were statistically significant correlation in the turbidity values in samples that do not use pumps and samples that use pumps. There were also significant statistical correlation between turbidity values and pump Age. 2- pH: Generally, the results of laboratory analysis showed an increase in pH of samples collected with water pump than in these samples collected without water pump ,as pump causes changing in water flow rate which leads to re-suspension of sediments including hydroxide compounds (iron an aluminum) that cause increasing in pH values in samples with pump. All Samples without pumps were within Egyptian and EPA range (6.5-8.5), but the maximum value of samples with pump exceed the allowed Egyptian and EPA standard maximum level .Also, there were statistically significant correlation in pH values between both samples not used pumps and samples used pumps. 3- Total Dissolved Solids: The results of laboratory tests showed an increase in total dissolved solids values in samples that use water pump than those samples do not use pump .All results are complying with National and International standard guidelines. There were statistically significant correlation in the values of the total solids between both samples that do not use pumps and samples that use pumps. There were also significant statistical correlation between the total dissolved solids of samples and pump Age. 4- Residual Chlorine: The results showed a decrease in the residual chlorine in the samples with using pump than these samples taken without using pump due to negative pressure generated from pump that cause chlorine gas to be fainted. All the results of all the samples are below National and International Standards . There were statistically significant correlation in residual chlorine values between both samples that do not use pump and samples that used pumps. Total Heterotrophic Plate Count (THPC): The results of laboratory tests showed elevated levels of THPC in the samples taken with using pumps .The samples obtained from units that do not use pumps were all complying with the Egyptian standards for drinking water (458 of 2007)(less than 50CFU/ml ),but these samples collected from water pump exceeded this level ,where the maximum number of THPC reached 95 bacterial colonies, which is nearly twice the allowed value in the Egyptian Drinking Water. All the results comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (The maximum number of bacterial total counts is 500 bacterial colonies). There was statistically significant correlation in the values of THPC between both samples that did not use pumps and samples that used pumps. There was also statistically significant correlation between THPC and the pump age. 6- Coliform group (Total coliform bacteria and faecal coliform): The results of laboratory analyses of total coliform and fecal coliform not detected the drinking water samples of both housing units without and with using water pumps ,so they comply with National and International standards guidelines (The samples should be completely free of coliform group bacteria ) 7- Streptococcus feacalis: The results of laboratory tests showed that Streptococcus feacalis not detected in the drinking water samples of each of the housing units that do not use the water pump and the housing units that use a water pump and so complying with the Egyptian standards and also compatible with both EPA and WHO recommendations (positive results should not be detected). 8- Total Algal Count: The results of microscopic examination to detect total algal count in drinking water samples of each of the housing units that do not use water pump and housing units that use the water pump showed that the absence of Algal species in samples. Based on the results obtained, the study concluded that the continuous usage of water pumps changes water quality specially with pump aging that may affect human public health on long run. Therefore, the study recommended to change water pump every ten years to prevent pump body aging that changes the quality of water and to ensure the performance of water pumps. water generated from pumps is for domestic not for drinking purposes. water should be boiled before drinking to get rid of any pathogens, lifting water up from pumps to roof tanks is better than using it directly from the pump. AWCO should provide consumers with high water pressure. Finally, environmental and health awareness programs must be implemented through social media, visual and audiovisual media to spread the health hazards that may result from the continuous usage of pumps in drinking water over the long term specially with pump aging. |