Tap water quality from surface and groundwater sources in rural and urban communities evaluated in contrasting climatic seasons and its implications for public health

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the quality of tap water from surface and groundwater sources in rural and urban communities during the rainy and dry seasons and its implications for public health in Peru. Water samples were collected and physicochemical parameters and bacteriological indicators were determined. The Wilcoxon (W) test indicated that pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH) and chlorides (Cl−) did not exceed permissible limits. In the rainy season, tap water from groundwater sources in rural communities presented the highest alkalinity values (326.67 mg CaCO3/L), and those of Escherichia coli exceeded the permissible limit. The Kruskal–Wallis (KW) test evidenced significant differences in the physicochemical parameters of surface water according to the geographic zone. Correlations between physicochemical and bacteriological parameters ranged from weak to moderate. The water quality index revealed that 89% of the water samples in rural communities were classified as poor and very poor quality water, and 73% of the water samples in urban communities as good quality. These findings highlight the importance of implementing urgent measures to improve tap water quality to safeguard public health.