Emerging countries frequently afflicted by waterborne diseases require safe and cost-efficient production of drinking water, a task that is becoming more challenging as many rivers carry a high degree of pollution. A study was conducted on the banks of the Yamuna River, Delhi, India, to ascertain if riverbank filtration (RBF) can significantly improve the quality of the highly polluted surface water in terms of virus removal (coliphages, enteric viruses). Human adenoviruses and noroviruses, both present in the Yamuna River in the range of 105 genomes/100 mL, were undetectable after 50 m infiltration and approximately 119 days of underground passage. Indigenous somatic coliphages, used as surrogates of human pathogenic viruses, underwent approximately 5 log10 removal after only 3.8 m of RBF. The initial removal after 1 m was 3.3 log10, and the removal between 1 and 2.4 m and between 2.4 and 3.8 m was 0.7 log10 each. RBF is therefore an excellent candidate to improve the water situation in emerging countries with respect to virus removal.
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Research Article|
January 06 2014
Removal of indigenous coliphages and enteric viruses during riverbank filtration from highly polluted river water in Delhi (India) Free
C. Sprenger;
C. Sprenger
1Free University of Berlin, Malteserstrasse 74-100, Berlin, Germany
*Both authors contributed equally
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G. Lorenzen;
G. Lorenzen
1Free University of Berlin, Malteserstrasse 74-100, Berlin, Germany
*Both authors contributed equally
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A. Grunert;
A. Grunert
2Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environmental Agency), Corrensplatz 1, Berlin, Germany
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M. Ronghang;
M. Ronghang
3Indian Institute for Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India
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H. Dizer;
H. Dizer
5Helios Klinikum Berlin Buch, Schwanenbecker Chaussee 50, 13125 Berlin, Germany
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H.-C. Selinka;
H.-C. Selinka
2Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environmental Agency), Corrensplatz 1, Berlin, Germany
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R. Girones;
R. Girones
4University of Barcelona, Diagonal 645, Barcelona, Spain
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J. M. Lopez-Pila;
2Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environmental Agency), Corrensplatz 1, Berlin, Germany
E-mail: [email protected]
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A. K. Mittal;
A. K. Mittal
3Indian Institute for Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India
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R. Szewzyk
R. Szewzyk
2Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environmental Agency), Corrensplatz 1, Berlin, Germany
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J Water Health (2014) 12 (2): 332–342.
Article history
Received:
June 25 2012
Accepted:
November 01 2013
Citation
C. Sprenger, G. Lorenzen, A. Grunert, M. Ronghang, H. Dizer, H.-C. Selinka, R. Girones, J. M. Lopez-Pila, A. K. Mittal, R. Szewzyk; Removal of indigenous coliphages and enteric viruses during riverbank filtration from highly polluted river water in Delhi (India). J Water Health 1 June 2014; 12 (2): 332–342. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2014.134
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