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Field Implementation | Ghana | Field Insight
November 2021

On-Site Water Quality Assurance

By: Safe Water Network | Rabin Valluri | Joseph Owusu-Ansah | David Vordzorgbe | Dan Bena

In-country laboratory capability for drinking water testing is limited in Ghana, and COVID-19 has exacerbated issues of transport and turnaround time for testing of water samples by nationally recognized labs. New advancements in on-site testing at Safe Water Network’s water stations in Ghana cut timing of returned results from weeks to hours while reducing operational expenses. As part of Safe Water Network’s strategy to increase field-level testing capability, the Ghana team secured portable meters for testing of pH, total dissolved solids, and bacteria. Improving our monitoring standards vastly increases our ability to provide water quality assurance to the communities we serve.

KEY INSIGHTS

  • Rapid on-site testing for TDS and pH is in effect at all 98 of Safe Water Network’s community water stations in Ghana.
  • Aquagenx microbial test kits save time by reducing the timeline for receiving results from weeks to hours/days
  • Operational expenses are reduced through internal on-site analysis, as opposed to analysis through an external lab
  • We are currently testing a 25-parameter mobile lab, which shows great promise for station-level capacity building

In-country laboratory capability for drinking water testing is limited in Ghana, and COVID-19 has exacerbated issues of transport and turnaround time for testing of water samples by nationally recognized labs. New advancements in on-site testing at Safe Water Network’s water stations in Ghana cut timing of returned results from weeks to hours while reducing operational expenses. As part of Safe Water Network’s strategy to increase field-level testing capability, the Ghana team secured portable meters for testing of pH, total dissolved solids, and bacteria. Improving our monitoring standards vastly increases our ability to provide water quality assurance to the communities we serve.

KEY INSIGHTS

  • Rapid on-site testing for TDS and pH is in effect at all 98 of Safe Water Network’s community water stations in Ghana.
  • Aquagenx microbial test kits save time by reducing the timeline for receiving results from weeks to hours/days
  • Operational expenses are reduced through internal on-site analysis, as opposed to analysis through an external lab
  • We are currently testing a 25-parameter mobile lab, which shows great promise for station-level capacity building