Monitoramento da qualidade da água dos bebedouros do Campus Glória da Universidade Federal de Uberlândia

Abstract

According to the Law nº. 9,433/1997, which established the National Water Resources Policy and the National Water Resources Management System, the present and future generations should have access to potable water, however, this is not a reality for all Brazilians, since nearly 35 million people in Brazil live without treated water. Despite being vital for human existence, water can carry substances and microorganisms harmful to health. Therefore, monitoring water quality based on potability parameters, such as physicochemical and microbiological analyses, is essential. Thus, in this project, the water quality of drinking fountains in the three buildings of the Glória campus of the Federal University of Uberlândia (Uberlândia, Minas Gerais) was analyzed in accordance with the standards established by the Ordinance of Health Ministry nº 888/2021. The water quality was investigated through analysis using the multiple-tube technique and physicochemical parameters such as pH, turbidity, conductivity, dissolved solids and chlorine residual concentration. The analyses were performed in triplicate at 17 drinking fountains over a 12-month period, with four sampling events at each drinking fountain, totaling 68 samples. In the bacteriological analyses, no coliforms were detected in any sample, indicating the potability of the consumed water and the absence of contamination. For the chlorine residual parameter, the reference value for drinking water is 0,2 to 5 mg.L-1; however, in nine months the samples showed slightly lower values, occurring in months 1, 4, and 7 in block 1CCG; months 2 and 8 in block 1BCG; and in all analyzed months in block 1DCG. The mean values of this parameter was 0.19 mg.L-1. The other physicochemical parameters were in accordance with the Potability Standard for water for human consumption, with mean values of: pH 7.3, turbidity 0.38 NTU, conductivity 88.1 µS.cm-1, and dissolved solids 43.5 mg.L-1, demonstrating the good quality of the water on this campus. The data obtained showed that the samples were in compliance with the legislation, indicating the potability of the analyzed water. However, the chlorine residual parameter presented some values slightly below the recommended range, possibly due to the analyses being performed on water after passing through the filtration system, which may partially remove chlorine. Therefore, continuous monitoring of this parameter is essential to ensure the maintenance of water quality.