Drinking Water Investigation of Hill Tribes: A Case Study in Northern Thailand

Suntorn Sudsandee, Krailak Fakkaew, Vivat Keawdounglek, Pussadee Laor, Suwalee Worakhunpiset and Tawatchai Apidechkul
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Suntorn Sudsandee: Environmental Health Program, School of Health Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand
Krailak Fakkaew: Environmental Health Program, School of Health Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand
Vivat Keawdounglek: Environmental Health Program, School of Health Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand
Pussadee Laor: Environmental Health Program, School of Health Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand
Suwalee Worakhunpiset: Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Tawatchai Apidechkul: Environmental Health Program, School of Health Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-13

Abstract: Hill tribes are a group of people who live in remote areas in northern Thailand. They typically use untreated water for drinking, that can lead several health problems. The six main hill tribes—Akha, Hmong, Karen, Lahu, Lisu, and Yao—were selected for the study. A validated questionnaire was used for data collection. Water samples were collected from the selected villages and tested for the quality at Mae Fah Luang University, Thailand. Results: the major sources of drinking water were mountain water supplies (74.3%), and commercial bottled water (21.4%). Easy access, sufficiency for the whole year, and food-drug administration sign labeled were the criteria used for selecting sources of drinking water. Colorless and safety were also used as a selection criteria for their drinking water in some tribes. Lisu, Karen, and Hmong treated their drinking water by boiling, while Akha and Lahu stored the water in certain containers to allow particle settling before drinking water without treatment. 42.0% of the water samples had a turbidity values <5 NTU, and total coliform and fecal coliform bacteria were detected in 100.0% of the samples. To prevent water-borne diseases among the hill tribe people, appropriate water treatments such as boiling, filtration, and disinfection are recommended.

Keywords: hill tribes; mountain water supply; drinking water; turbidity; biological parameters (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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