Investigation of drinking water quality in the kindergartens of Gaza Strip Governorates

The aim of this study is to investigate drinking water contamination and to identify potential sources of contamination during the water production, delivery process and in water tanks in the kindergartens of Gaza Strip governorates. The samples were taken from water tanks in the kindergartens, water tankers and private desalination facilities in the Gaza Strip and analyzed for chemical and biological investigations. With reference to chemical investigations pH in the desalination plants was mostly below the acceptable level, with an average of 6.26. Conductivity, chloride, calcium and nitrate concentration levels were found to be in agreement with WHO and Palestinian standards whereas fluoride concentrations were found to be lower than WHO and Palestinian standards. Biological contamination in kindergartens water tanks is relatively higher than those detected in water tankers and private desalination facilities. There was no biological contamination in the private desalination plants of North, Gaza, Middle and Rafah governorates. The biological contamination only found in the samples collected from Khanyounis desalination plants with contamination percentage of total coliform (75%) and fecal coliform (66.66%). The contamination of drinking water in the kindergarten tanks and water tankers were due to the unsafe storage system. Water transportation appears to be only one of the potential causes of final contamination.