Levantamento dos dados de controle de qualidade da água de um município do Triângulo Mineiro

Abstract

Water is an important substance for human survival and essential for various activities. For its safe consumption, depending on the type of use, there are laws that define potability parameters. In Brazil, the current legislation establishing the physicochemical and microbiological parameters is Ordinance No. 888 of May 4, 2021, issued by the Ministerial Cabinet/Ministry of Health. The quality control of water for human consumption is monitored through the VIGIÁGUA program, where data obtained from these monitoring activities are input into a system called SISÁGUA. The responsible oversight body is Environmental Surveillance, which, in Uberlândia, is supported by the Health Quality Control Laboratory (LCQS). This laboratory conducts microbiological and physicochemical analyses of water consumed by various institutions in the city. The aim of this study was to evaluate and correlate the microbiological analyses (total coliforms and E. coli) and/or physicochemical analyses performed by the Laboratory from 2017 to 2023. From the reports of the years 2017 to 2019, and 2022 and 2023, information was extracted regarding the presence of E. coli and total coliforms (in all years), as well as nonconformities regarding the parameters of turbidity, free residual chlorine, and pH (only in some reports from 2022 and 2023). This information was categorized according to the activity performed at these collection sites. The data tabulation was conducted using descriptive statistics in Excel®. A total of 572 (2017), 395 (2018), 706 (2019), 906 (2022), and 1650 (2023) reports were analyzed, divided into categories such as healthcare, education, public institutions, NGOs, sports centers, and transportation terminals. The years 2018 and 2019 showed compliance with the current legislation of that period, where no contamination by total coliforms was found in any sample. The year 2017 had the highest number of positive results for the presence of total coliforms and E. coli compared to all the years evaluated (with higher values in healthcare and public institutions). As for the physicochemical parameters, it was found that only turbidity in 2023 showed all the evaluated samples in compliance with the legislation, which is a concerning result because some parameters, such as turbidity itself, may indicate microbial contamination. The results of contamination by total coliforms and E. coli are concerning because the presence of these microorganisms in water is an indicator of contamination, and they can cause waterborne diseases in the users and staff of these institutions. This could lead to severe consequences, considering that users of some services belong to more susceptible groups to these diseases (the sick, elderly, and children).In the years when nonconformities were found regarding the physicochemical and microbiological parameters, it can be observed that these were due to contamination in the distribution network and/or within the establishment itself, emphasizing the importance of using this data to develop corrective and guidance actions.