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Journal – Antimicrobial Resistant E. coli in Intermittent Rural Water Supply Systems: Evidence from Rural Indonesia

Rioneli Ghaudenson, Cindy Rianti Priadi, and Iftita Rahmatika (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia)

Abstract

Intermittent water supply (IWS) systems remain prevalent in community-managed water supply programs in rural and peri-urban areas. Although it serves 1,3 billion people worldwide, IWS poses challenges: frequent flow interruptions lead to infrastructure damage, intrusion, backflow, and biofilm release. This study aims to investigate the relationships between intermittency and water quality in 2 community-managed water supply systems in South Kalimantan, Indonesia with different intermittency regimes: continuous water supply (CWS) and IWS. The data collection consisted of household interviews (N=20) and water sample collection at the water source, water system output, and household (N=50). Microbial analysis of E. coli and antimicrobial-resistant E. coli was conducted using Aquagenx field test kits, respectively. Most households used Pamsimas as their primary water source for bathing and washing (80.0%). IWS households exhibit a significantly higher prevalence of E. coli (50.0%) and antimicrobial-resistant E. coli (40.0%) contamination compared to CWS households (40.0% and 10.0%, respectively). A statistically significant correlation was identified between intermittency and AMR antimicrobial-resistant E. coli contamination (95% CI; p=0.028). This result suggests that IWS systems are more prone to contamination of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria than CWS systems, emphasizing the need for improved management practices and water quality assurance in IWS systems.

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