Water quality in Malawi : effluent water from a matchstick factory in Blantyre

Abstract: Fresh drinking water and basic sanitation is one of the Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations. Poorly cleaned water may expose living organisms to diseases such as cholera and diarrhea to mention a few. This study was executed in Blantyre, the second largest city in Malawi. Blantyre is a commercial centre with many industries and the city’s population has grown quickly during the past years. Even though the population has grown and the number of heavy industries has increased making the demands for clean freshwater, waste disposal and functioning water sanitation more urgent than ever. In this study effluent water from a matchstick factory in Blantyre has been investigated. The method of grab sampling was performed in May 2012 and the metal ions analyzed were chromium, zinc and potassium, as all of them are used in the production. The inorganic anions sulfate, nitrate and chloride were also analyzed. The results were compared to the limit values for effluent water according to the Malawian Bureau of Standards. The concentration of chromium, zinc and nitrate ions were above the tolerance limit. The effluent from the factory goes directly to the Blantyre Wastewater Treatment Plant and for future studies it is suggested that water samples taken after the treatment plant are analyzed to investigate if the ion concentrations are still too high.