Abstract

This study was initiated with the aim of helping the rural population to easily make raw surface water potable for their well-being.
For this purpose, a manual prototype including a sand filtration process was tested. Moreover, the tests were conducted during
dry and rainy seasons and repeated 2 years. First, principal component analysis analysis showed that turbidity, conductivity and
temperature were more important in dry than rainy seasons. Second, chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrate and phosphate
were abundant in rainy periods. When 14 m3 of water passed through the filter, 8 m3 (57.14%) had a final turbidity drop
from 0.12 to 0.6 nephelometric turbidity unit. Also, 96.74, 98.32, 64.15, 9.92, 80 and 75% abatement rates, respectively, for
COD, turbidity, nitrate, temperature, calcium carbonate and Mg2+ were observed. Similarly, 90.86, 91.66 and 9.53, respectively,
for conductivity, Ca2+ and pH improvement rates were obtained. In addition, aerobic mesophilic germs, Escherichia coli and
streptococci reduction rates, whose were respectively 94.03, 100 and 95.65% proved that the prototype including a sand filtration
process was an alternative to improve the lake water quality.