SOCIOECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF DRINKING WATER SOURCES IN RAMALLAH CITY

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Date
2023-05-04
Authors
Sanaa Yaser Assaf
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Abstract Background: Water is the nerve of life and one of the important elements necessary for the survival of humans and other living beings. Safe and hygienic drinking water is the basic requirements for human wellbeing. Nowadays, there is a strong socio-economic attribute among people to buy bottled drinking water even though it does not meet the standard for different reasons such as being an alternative to tap water scarcity, contamination, and quality. Therefore, this study aims to find a relationship between the use of bottled water and socioeconomic factors in Ramallah city. This study contributes to the field by adding significant new data, useful information, an additional reference for interested parties, stakeholder, and researchers. Methodology: The study followed the descriptive and analytical approaches through data collection by questionnaires, in addition to sampling bottled water and laboratory analysis for their contents. The study was conducted between August 2021 to December 2022 in Ramallah governorate. The questionnaire covered 381 respondents with a response rate of 100%. Chemical analysis was done for 21 different bottled water from commercial sources. Statistical analysis of results included these tests (Potential of hydrogen, Electrical conductivity, Sodium, Calcium, Magnesium, Chloride, Fluoride, Nitrate, Total hardness). All these tests were conducted in the laboratories of An-Najah National University. Results and Conclusion: The study population consisted of 381 respondents. It included chemical analysis of samples from water companies. Twenty-one chemical analyzes were performed, and then they were analyzed statistically. According to the study findings, there is a significant statistical correlation between drinking water and gender and income. The study findings showed no statistical significant difference among age, education, and household. For chemical analyses, the study findings showed statistical significant differences between the label of the bottles and the chemical test contents (Electrical conductivity, Nitrate, Total hardness, Calcium, and Magnesium). Furthermore, another novel finding is that there are statistically no significant differences between the listed labels listed values and the contents of (Potential of hydrogen pH, Sodium, Potassium, Chloride, and Fluoride). Keywords: Bottled Water; Drinking Water; Ramallah Governorate; Socioeconomic Factors; Water Quality; West Bank.
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