Publication: Drinking water investigation of hill tribes: A case study in northern thailand
Issued Date
2020-03-01
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ISSN
16604601
16617827
16617827
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2-s2.0-85081218626
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Mahidol University
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SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Vol.17, No.5 (2020)
Suggested Citation
Suntorn Sudsandee, Krailak Fakkaew, Vivat Keawdounglek, Pussadee Laor, Suwalee Worakhunpiset, Tawatchai Apidechkul Drinking water investigation of hill tribes: A case study in northern thailand. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Vol.17, No.5 (2020). doi:10.3390/ijerph17051698 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/53676
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Title
Drinking water investigation of hill tribes: A case study in northern thailand
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Abstract
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. 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.