Evaluation of the sanitary condition and drinking water quality of automatic drinking water dispensers in the municipality

Abstract

Background: Consumption of water from automatic water dispensers for people in municipal areas is an easily accessible and convenient channel for consumers. The quality of water from automatic water
dispensers is very important because the presence of contaminants in water, as well as the substandard sanitary and environmental conditions of automatic water dispensers, will affect the cleanliness of the
water and the safety of consumers’ health. Objectives: 1.) To evaluate the physical, chemical, and biological qualities of drinking water from an automatic drinking water dispenser. 2.) To assess the environmental
sanitation conditions around the location of the automatic drinking water dispenser in the municipality area,
a total of 15 samples. Methods: This research is a survey study. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics
consisting of frequency, percentage, and mean. Results: When compared to the Ministry of Public Health's standard for drinking water from the automatic drinking water dispensers, the results showed that the physical quality of drinking water samples was clear and odorless, with a pH value of between 6.0 and 7.6. Ten dispensers met the required standards (66.7%), while 5 water dispensers (33.3%) did not pass. The chemical quality of the water passed the standard criteria for all 15 water dispensers. Analyzing biological water quality found that drinking water samples were contaminated with coliform and fecal coliform in 7 and 1 water dispensers (46.7% and 6.7%), respectively, and no Escherichia coli contamination was found. In addition, based on the results of the evaluation of the environmental sanitation conditions of the automatic drinking water dispensers, it was found that all 15 water dispensers (100%) did not have records of water tank cleaning and did not have business licenses attached. As for the location, 13 water dispensers (86.7%) were less than 10 meters from dusty areas. Conclusions: Therefore, the information from this research can be used to improve the environmental sanitation and water quality of automatic drinking water dispensers in municipal areas.