Page 111 - Demo
P. 111
1st Int. Transborder Conf. of the Timor Island: Timor %u2013 Science without borderDili, 7-8 May 2025110Analysis of Physical-Chemical And Biological Parameters In Public Water Supply And Well Water In The Municipalities of Bobonaro And Liqui%u00e7%u00e1 According To Existing Legislation Mariano Amaral, Romualdo Lopes da Cruz, Rosito Quint%u00e3o and M. Clara F. Magalh%u00e3es Corresponding authors: illoamari@gmail.com, romualdolopescruz@gmail.com, rositoquintao@yahoo.com.br.AbstractWater found on the Earth's surface, with potential for use by humans and other living beings, whether as surface water (rivers and other waterways, lakes, etc.) or as groundwater, may contain various contaminants such as substances with concentrations that may be harmful to living beings and even pathological microorganisms. In several municipalities in East Timor, the quality of water intended for human consumption is still not monitored. Two of these municipalities are Liqui%u00e7%u00e1 and Bobonaro where the majority of the population, both in urban and rural areas, continue to use water from various sources without knowing whether this water is in good condition for human consumption. To ensure water quality that is suitable for human consumption and for other living beings, the competent public bodies must periodically analyse various physical, chemical and biological parameters to verify the potability conditions of the water, in accordance with the parameters established in the legislation. Unfortunately, this does not happen due to the lack of adequate laboratories and qualified technical personnel. According to Decree-Law No. 5/2009, drinking water is defined as water that has undergone laboratory analysis and is considered suitable for human consumption by health services. The research described in this paper aimed to evaluate the quality of water used for human consumption, coming from both the public network and wells, in the municipalities of Liqui%u00e7%u00e1 and Bobonaro, verifying compliance with the values established in the legislation in force in Timor-Leste. The quantitative study was carried out through the analysis of the physical-chemical and microbiological parameters defined in Annex I of Decree-Law No. 31/2020. Fourteen samples were analysed: seven samples from Bobonaro: spring (AC1), rivers (AC2), water treatment station (AE2), reservoir (TC), consumer (AC), and two wells (APB1 and APB2), and another seven samples from Liqui%u00e7%u00e1: river (AC1), reservoir (AC2), consumer (AC3), four wells (AP1, AP2, AP3 and AP4). The results showed that all tested samples were in accordance with the established parameters. However, five Bobonaro samples: AC2, AE2, AC, AP1 and AP2 presented results outside the acceptable limits in relation to microbiological parameters. Based on these results, it is necessary to pre-treat the water before consumption, such as adding a disinfectant or heating it, so that the water can be considered suitable for human consumption and thus avoiding risks to public health. Furthermore, this work also explored the communities%u2019 perception of the importance of the quality of the water they consumed. To this end, questionnaires were prepared with questions related to water quality and were applied through personal interviews to local authorities, representatives of the BTL company responsible for analysing water quality, health professionals and some consumers in general. Keywords: Water Quality, Public Supplay, Wells, Qualitative-Quantitative Study,

