Socio-environmental aspects and quality of water from desalination plants in rural communities of Pentecoste-CE

Abstract

Desalination plants are of great interest as an alternative to supply drinking water to hundreds of locations in the Brazilian semi-arid region and it is a social technology to cope with drought. However, desalination waste can contaminate groundwater and cause serious environmental impacts. The objective of this work was, therefore, to evaluate the quality of water and the perception of users regarding the socio-environmental aspects of the use of desalination equipment installed at eight locations in the municipality of Pentecoste, Ceará. The towns of Mulungu, Muquenzinho, Irapuá, Macacos, Barra do Leme, Capivara, Lagoa da Porta, and Providência were visited. In each location, three samples were taken of desalinated well water, and desalination wastes were collected in plastic bottles, and their chemical composition was analyzed. The values of ECw of the waste ranged from 4.2 to 7.6 dS m-1, representing risks to the environment per established standards worldwide. The locality of Muquenzinho has the highest values of pH, ECw, Na and Ca at different water sources. Most of the desalination waste generated is used for animal feed and the vast majority of the population, regardless of location, is not aware whether the use of waste water may be harmful to human health or to the environment.