Assessment and Evaluation on the Quality of Drinking Water before and after a Water Improvement Project in a Rural Area

Objectives To know the quality of drinking water before and after a water improvement projects in a rural area, and to assess its effectiveness.

Methods To monitor the quality of water in 7 county level improvement projects of a city in 2010—2011, and to evaluate the water quality according to the "Standards for Drinking Water Quality" (GB 5749-2006).

Results The qualified rate of 560 water samples collected before the project was 50.2% (281 /560); and the qualified rate was 58.1% (314 /570) after the improvement (χ² = 7.09, P < 0.01).

Conclusions Water improvement projects not only solved the drinking water problems and promoted the water quality in the rural areas, but also reduced the incidence of intestinal infectious diseases.However the problems of microbial contamination and improper management of water disinfection still existed.Strengthening the security of drinking water in part of rural areas in the city is needed.