Assessment of drinking-water quality in Indigenous communities of Santa Victoria Este, Argentina

Abstract

Santa Victoria Este, in the northeast region of Argentina, is one of the poorest regions of the countrybecause of historic socioeconomic marginalization and poor governmental assistance. Over 60% of its population is estimated to belong to Indigenous communities. Access to water is mainly throughcommunity wells, often lacking adequate infrastructure. With the main objective of empoweringIndigenous communities in relation to access to safe water, we (1) established a local laboratorywith the capacity to analyze microbiological and physical and chemical parameters of water andtransfer capabilities to the local community to ensure long-term monitoring and (2) assessed thewater quality in 34 communal wells. Results of physical, chemical, metal, and microbiologicalparameters show that 70.6% of the groundwater supplies are not safe for human consumptionbecause they exceed the limits established by Argentinian regulations. Microbiologicalcontamination was consistently found in water storage systems (tanks), highlighting the imperativeneed of water treatment and maintenance. A long-term monitoring program that includesphysicochemical and microbiological parameters is crucial to ensure the quality of water in thesecommunities and to formulate appropriate decisions and measures.