Water is the most abundant substance in nature and vital for life activities. The major water sources for use are surface water bodies such as rivers and lakes, and underground aquifers and pore spaces down the water table (Ring, 2003). Water derived from these sources is not necessarily pure since it contains dissolved inorganic and organic substances, living organisms (viruses, bacteria, etc). For these reasons, water intended for domestic uses should be free from toxic substances and microorganisms that are of health significance (WHO, 2005). The availability and quality of water always have played an important role in determining the quality of life. Water quality is closely linked to water use and to the state of economic development (Chennakrishnan et al., 2008). Ground and surface waters can be contaminated by several sources. In urban areas, the careless disposal of industrial effluents and other wastes may contribute greatly to the poor quality of water (Mathuthu et al., 1997). In most developing countries, most areas are located on the watersheds which are the end points of effluents discharged from various industries (Oberholster and Ashton, 2008). South Africa, as a developing country, is experiencing rapid demographic changes due to urbanization, industrialization and population growth. The country has also been identified as being water-scarce, which can lead to a challenge of meeting the increasing water demand due to industrialization and urbanization. Such population growth increase may result in an increase in wastewater output, especially around urban areas.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ufh/vital:27417 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Kulati, Thanduxolo Cullinan |
| Publisher | University of Fort Hare, Faculty of Science & Agriculture |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Masters, MSc |
| Format | 123 leaves, pdf |
| Rights | University of Fort Hare |
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