Evaluación de la calidad de agua de las vertientes Paki Poggio y Shushurí, ubicadas en la provincia de Tungurahua : determinación de la calidad de la fuente Paki Poggio.

Abstract

In the province of Tungurahua, Ecuador, providing drinking water in rural areas has been a considerable challenge. However, since 2013 there has been significant progress where water-related stomach diseases have been reduced by 2%. But the Pelileo region still faces persistent obstacles, especially due to river pollution from waste and industrial discharges from the nearby cities of Patate and Pelileo. Despite water-related health advances, the availability and quality of water resources remain critical challenges for local people. Continued river pollution raises questions about the safety of Paki Poggio watershed for human consumption, especially in a region where access to drinking water in rural areas remains limited. Given this scenario, the project focused on the exhaustive evaluation of the water quality of the Paki Poggio spring where physical, chemical, and microbiological parameters were analyzed. According to this, its suitability for human consumption and for the possible use of this water resource as bottled water for marketing was determined. An initial treatment of the water was carried out to comply with the standards of the INEN 2200 regulations for bottled water, and a disinfection method was suggested to be applied after the initial treatment.