Microbiological Analysis and pH Determination of Drinking Water Samples from Public Schools in the Municipality of Recife/PE
Authors:   Federal University of Pernambuco1, Estacio of Recife University2, Maurício de Nassau University3
Published: September 2021

Water is considered a finite natural resource and one of the essential elements of life. It is used in various work activities such as agriculture, industry, livestock, public supply, energy generation, among others [15]. According to SPERLING (2006) [38], only 2.493% of the water on the planet is suitable for the consumption of humans and animals and 0.0007% of the water accessible for consumption is present in the atmosphere, rivers and lakes. It is estimated that more than one billion people worldwide do not have access to treated water, as its supply is not made on an equal basis due to population growth, economic activities and uneven distribution contrasted with different populations. between rural and urban areas [3, 21,33,]. Problems related to water shortages in the metropolitan regions of Brazilian states are increasingly present in everyday life, and can be attributed to factors involving administrative processes, such as the high cost of drinking water treatment, pollution of water tables, increased demand for water. consumption and climatic factors. In this sense, the use of water for poor quality consumption is an alternative for regions experiencing shortages and has a direct impact on the health of individuals, especially workers and students, as about 80% of the infectious and parasitic diseases that affect developing countries are due to poor quality water, directly impacting the individual’s health [10,17,18,28,36,37]. The water potability standards in Brazil are described in Ordinance GM / MS No. 2,914, of December 12, 2011, which portrays the main physical-chemical and microbiological quality control processes aimed at ensuring water safety and quality. for human consumption [5-8,42].In relation to water-borne infectious-parasitic diseases, their main route of transmission is via the oro-fecal route, that is, ingestion of water contaminated by excreta in drinks or food. According to PEIL et al (2015) [29], the main diseases resulting from contaminated water are typhoid fever, cholera, leptospirosis, giardiasis, enterobacteriosis, among others. In 2015, this type of disease was responsible for 2.35% of hospital admissions in Brazil, generating expenses for the Unified Health System (SUS) [28]. Among the diseases that affect individuals in the school phase, childhood diarrhea stands out for being responsible for hospitalizations and if left untreated, it can evolve to death. Childhood diarrhea is a serious public health problem in developing countries, such as Brazil, and is related to the lack of basic sanitation, ingestion of contaminated water and the precariousness of health services [35,40]. Vidal et al (2016) [43] comment that 88% of diarrhea cases are attributed to the consumption of contaminated water and children under five years of age are the most affected. The city of Recife, capital of the state of Pernambuco, has a large number of individuals in school, about 248,408 students are enrolled in the public school system. As a result, it is important to monitor and monitor the water used for consumption in schools. This work proposes to carry out microbiological analysis and pH determination of water for consumption in public schools located in the city of Recife/PE supplied by Pernambuco Sanitation Company (COMPESA).