Evaluating Water Stations' Management Performance in Providing Safe Drinking Water: A Case Study of Tikrit's Water Stations

Abstract

The quality of drinking water must adhere to the standards set by the World Health Organization, including limits on pollutants, sediments, dissolved minerals, chemical compounds, and the absence of harmful bacteria. Some developed countries have even stricter standards than those set by the World Health Organization; as a result, producing safe drinking water in these countries requires more complex and expensive treatment methods. The present study assesses the water stations performance to provide safe water for human use. The assessment focuses on the efficiency and effectiveness of the studied stations, including their ability to consistently meet required laboratory test results and infrastructure standards. The study also identifies any weaknesses in operating each station to improve them. The Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) method is used to assess the current and future state of a particular work environment, to identify internal positive and negative factors, as well as external opportunities and threats. The water stations in Tikrit were chosen to assess the condition of their equipment, machinery, and pipelines. Monthly tests were conducted according to the Tikrit Water Department's guidelines, focusing on temperature, pH level, dissolved salts, and turbidity. Samples were gathered over four months. The results were analyzed and compared with standard specifications to identify the stations' strengths and weaknesses. Ten water treatment stations were chosen to participate in the study and gather the necessary data. The study showed that water stations in Tikrit met most water test specifications, scoring 100% in total dissolved solids, pH level, chlorine, and temperature tests. However, they lack specialized and regular personnel, as identified in inspections and examinations. The results of turbidity testing showed that the station met specifications only (17.5%) of the time and deviated from them by (82.5%). The station data showed a weak relationship between turbidity and the other tests, except for temperature, which had a simple relationship with turbidity with (-0.345) Correlation Coefficient. As temperature increased, evaporation and water consumption rose, leading to more sedimentation and increased turbidity to a certain extent.