Academic literature on the topic 'Water quality – South Africa – Eastern Cape'
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Journal articles on the topic "Water quality – South Africa – Eastern Cape"
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Ncoko, Philisani, Ishmael Festus Jaja, and James Wabwire Oguttu. "Microbiological quality of beef, mutton, and water from different abattoirs in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa." July-2020 13, no. 7 (2020): 1363–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2020.1363-1371.
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Background and Aim: Abattoir processes from skinning, evisceration, to chilling usually lead to meat contamination by foodborne pathogens. Hence, continual microbial surveillance of slaughter carcasses by veterinary public health officials is key to preventing contamination and outbreak of meat-related foodborne diseases. This study was conducted to determine the Enterobacteriaceae count and aerobic plate count (APC) and to detect Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. in meat and water from selected slaughter facilities. Materials and Methods: Retrospective data (n=100) collected in 2017 by the Provincial Veterinary Department of the Eastern Cape Province from abattoirs and prospective survey data of meat (n=50) collected in 2018 from abattoirs in the Eastern Cape Province were utilized in this study. APC and Enterobacteriaceae were enumerated from the samples. In addition, Salmonella and E. coli were isolated from samples using selective media. Results: The APC in both retrospective and prospective studies for all samples ranged between 2 and 4.50 log CFU/cm2; similar counts of 2-4.00 log CFU/cm2 were recorded for Enterobacteriaceae. No significant difference (p>0.05) for APC and Enterobacteriaceae count across all meat types was noted. Salmonella and E. coli were detected in 50% of beef. E. coli was not detected from mutton, but Salmonella was found in 66.7%. Moreover, 91.7% of the water samples had E. coli, but none had Salmonella. Conclusion: The levels of Enterobacteriaceae and APC observed in meat satisfy regulatory conditions outlined by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, South Africa and show that meat produced from these abattoirs is of acceptable microbial quality. However, the quality of water used in the abattoirs does not meet the requirements set by the government, and contributes to contamination of meat produced in the abattoirs under study. Therefore, we recommend that sources of water be continuously investigated to eliminate or reduce the risk of contamination of meat processed in the abattoirs.
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Holmes, M., and JC Taylor. "Diatoms as water quality indicators in the upper reaches of the Great Fish River, Eastern Cape, South Africa." African Journal of Aquatic Science 40, no. 4 (November 3, 2015): 321–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.2989/16085914.2015.1086722.
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Lange, Jens, Tineke Materne, and Jörg Grüner. "Do low-cost ceramic water filters improve water security in rural South Africa?" Drinking Water Engineering and Science 9, no. 2 (October 11, 2016): 47–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/dwes-9-47-2016.
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Abstract. This study examined the performance of a low-cost ceramic candle filter system (CCFS) for point of use (POU) drinking water treatment in the village of Hobeni, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. CCFSs were distributed in Hobeni and a survey was carried out among their users. The performance of 51 CCFSs was evaluated by dip slides and related to human factors. Already after two-thirds of their specified lifetime, none of the distributed CCFSs produced water without distinct contamination, and more than one-third even deteriorated in hygienic water quality. Besides the water source (springs were preferable compared to river or rain water), a high water throughput was the dominant reason for poor CCFS performance. A stepwise laboratory test documented the negative effects of repeated loading and ambient field temperatures. These findings suggest that not every CCFS type per se guarantees improved drinking water security and that the efficiency of low-cost systems should continuously be monitored. For this purpose, dip slides were found to be a cost-efficient alternative to standard laboratory tests. They consistently underestimated microbial counts but can be used by laypersons and hence by the users themselves to assess critical contamination of their filter systems.
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Osunla, Ayodeji C., Oluwatayo E. Abioye, and Anthony I. Okoh. "Distribution and Public Health Significance of Vibrio Pathogens Recovered from Selected Treated Effluents in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa." Water 13, no. 7 (March 29, 2021): 932. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w13070932.
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Treated sewage harbours pathogenic microbes, such as enteric bacteria and protozoa, are capable of causing several diseases. Some of these are emerging pathogens sometimes recovered in the absence of common water quality indicator organisms. The possibility of selected treatments plants serving as momentary reservoirs of Vibrio pathogens during a non-outbreak period was assessed. The occurrence and diversity of Vibrio pathogens were monitored for one year (December 2016 to November 2017) in the treated effluents and upstream and downstream areas of the receiving water bodies of two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), designated AL and TS. Physicochemical parameters of TS and AL WWTPs’ water samples were analysed using a multi-parameter meter (Hanna, model HI 9828, Padova, Italy) and a turbidimeter (HACH, model 2100P, Johannesburg, South Africa). Water samples were augmented with alkaline peptone water and cultured on thiosulfate citrate bile salts sucrose agar at 37 °C for 24 h. The recovered probable pathogens were confirmed via PCR amplification, using primers specific for Vibrio species of public health significance. The distribution of Vibrio species positively and significantly (p < 0.01) correlated with turbidity (r = 0.630), temperature (r = 0.615), dissolved oxygen (r = 0.615), pH (r = 0.607), biological oxygen demand (r = 0.573), total dissolved solid (r = 0.543), total suspended solid (r = 0.511), electrical conductivity (r = 0.499), residual chlorine (r = 0.463) and salinity (r = 0.459). The densities of Vibrio species were found to be significantly higher (p < 0.05) in effluents from both AL and TS WWTPs than upstream and downstream of the receiving rivers across the sampling regime. Furthermore, the maximum Vibrio species density across the sampling regime were observed during the warmer Summer and Spring season. Moreover, six medically important Vibrio species were detected in the water samples, indicating that the methods employed were efficient in revealing that WWTPs are potential reservoirs of Vibrio pathogens, which could pose a substantial public health risk if the receiving water is used for domestic purposes. Our findings further strengthen existing calls for the inclusion of emerging bacterial pathogens, including Vibrio species, as water quality indicators by the South African Department of Water Affairs. Hence, we recommend regular monitoring of treated effluents and receiving water bodies to ensure early control of potential outbreaks of vibriosis and cholera.
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Slaughter, Andrew R., and Sukhmani K. Mantel. "Water quality modelling of an impacted semi-arid catchment using flow data from the WEAP model." Proceedings of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences 377 (April 16, 2018): 25–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/piahs-377-25-2018.
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Abstract. The continuous decline in water quality in many regions is forcing a shift from quantity-based water resources management to a greater emphasis on water quality management. Water quality models can act as invaluable tools as they facilitate a conceptual understanding of processes affecting water quality and can be used to investigate the water quality consequences of management scenarios. In South Africa, the Water Quality Systems Assessment Model (WQSAM) was developed as a management-focussed water quality model that is relatively simple to be able to utilise the small amount of available observed data. Importantly, WQSAM explicitly links to systems (yield) models routinely used in water resources management in South Africa by using their flow output to drive water quality simulations. Although WQSAM has been shown to be able to represent the variability of water quality in South African rivers, its focus on management from a South African perspective limits its use to within southern African regions for which specific systems model setups exist. Facilitating the use of WQSAM within catchments outside of southern Africa and within catchments for which these systems model setups to not exist would require WQSAM to be able to link to a simple-to-use and internationally-applied systems model. One such systems model is the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model, which incorporates a rainfall-runoff component (natural hydrology), and reservoir storage, return flows and abstractions (systems modelling), but within which water quality modelling facilities are rudimentary. The aims of the current study were therefore to: (1) adapt the WQSAM model to be able to use as input the flow outputs of the WEAP model and; (2) provide an initial assessment of how successful this linkage was by application of the WEAP and WQSAM models to the Buffalo River for historical conditions; a small, semi-arid and impacted catchment in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The simulations of the two models were compared to the available observed data, with the initial focus within WQSAM on a simulation of instream total dissolved solids (TDS) and nutrient concentrations. The WEAP model was able to adequately simulate flow in the Buffalo River catchment, with consideration of human inputs and outputs. WQSAM was adapted to successfully take as input the flow output of the WEAP model, and the simulations of nutrients by WQSAM provided a good representation of the variability of observed nutrient concentrations in the catchment. This study showed that the WQSAM model is able to accept flow inputs from the WEAP model, and that this approach is able to provide satisfactory estimates of both flow and water quality for a small, semi-arid and impacted catchment. It is hoped that this research will encourage the application of WQSAM to an increased number of catchments within southern Africa and beyond.
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Setshedi, Koketso J., Nhamo Mutingwende, and Nosiphiwe P. Ngqwala. "The Use of Artificial Neural Networks to Predict the Physicochemical Characteristics of Water Quality in Three District Municipalities, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 10 (May 14, 2021): 5248. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105248.
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Reliable prediction of water quality changes is a prerequisite for early water pollution control and is vital in environmental monitoring, ecosystem sustainability, and human health. This study uses Artificial Neural Network (ANN) technique to develop the best model fits to predict water quality parameters by employing multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network and the radial basis function (RBF) neural network, using data collected from three district municipalities. Two input combination models, MLP-4-5-4 and MLP-4-9-4, were trained, verified, and tested for their predictive performance ability, and their physicochemical prediction accuracy was compared by using each model’s observed data with the predicted data. The MLP-4-5-4 model showed a better understanding of the data sets and water quality predictive ability giving an MSE of 39.06589 and a correlation coefficient (R2) of the observed and the predicted water quality of 0.989383 compared to the MLP-4-9-4 model (R2 = 0.993532, MSE = 39.03087). These results apply to natural water resources management in South Africa and similar catchment systems. The MLP-4-5-4 system can be scaled up for future water quality prediction of the Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs), groundwater, and surface water while raising awareness among the public and industry on future water quality.
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Palmer, Carolyn G., Brenton Maart, Anthony R. Palmer, and Jay H. O'Keeffe. "An assessment of macroinvertebrate functional feeding groups as water quality indicators in the Buffalo River, eastern Cape Province, South Africa." Hydrobiologia 318, no. 3 (February 1996): 153–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf00016677.
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Niba, Augustine, and Selunathi Sakwe. "Turnover of benthic macroinvertebrates along the Mthatha River, Eastern Cape, South Africa: implications for water quality bio-monitoring using indicator species." Journal of Freshwater Ecology 33, no. 1 (January 1, 2018): 157–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02705060.2018.1431969.
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Farounbi, Adebayo I., Paul K. Mensah, Emmanuel O. Olawode, and Nosiphiwe P. Ngqwala. "1H-NMR Determination of Organic Compounds in Municipal Wastewaters and the Receiving Surface Waters in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa." Molecules 25, no. 3 (February 7, 2020): 713. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules25030713.
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Surface water is the recipient of pollutants from various sources, including improperly treated wastewater. Comprehensive knowledge of the composition of water is necessary to make it reusable in water-scarce environments. In this work, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) was combined with multivariate analysis to study the metabolites in four rivers and four wastewater treatment plants releasing treated effluents into the rivers. 1H-NMR chemical shifts of the extracts in CDCl were acquired with Bruker 400. Chemical shifts of 1H-NMR in chlorinated alkanes, amino compounds and fluorinated hydrocarbons were common to samples of wastewater and lower reaches or the rivers. 1H-NMR chemical shifts of carbonyl compounds and alkyl phosphates were restricted to wastewater samples. Chemical shifts of phenolic compounds were associated with treated effluent samples. This study showed that the sources of these metabolites in the rivers were not only from improperly treated effluents but also from runoffs. Multivariate analyses showed that some of the freshwater samples were not of better quality than wastewater and treated effluents. Observations show the need for constant monitoring of rivers and effluent for the safety of the aquatic environment.
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Mabidi, Annah, Matthew S. Bird, and Renzo Perissinotto. "Assessment of the physicochemical characteristics of surface waterbodies in a region earmarked for shale gas exploration (Eastern Cape Karoo, South Africa)." Marine and Freshwater Research 68, no. 9 (2017): 1626. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf16102.
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The proposed drilling for shale gas resources in the Eastern Cape Karoo region of South Africa has triggered much debate over the potential effects of hydraulic fracturing on water resources. Herein we present results on some limnological aspects of surface waterbodies in this water-scarce region before shale gas exploration. Thirty-three waterbodies (nine dams, 13 depression wetlands and 11 rivers) were sampled in November 2014 and April 2015. Principal component analysis revealed that depression wetlands and rivers had distinct physicochemical signatures, whereas dams were highly variable in their physicochemical attributes and exhibited characteristics similar to those of either rivers or depression wetlands. Non-parametric multivariate regressions and permutational multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated that landscape variables such as underlying geology, altitude and land use poorly explained the physicochemical characteristics of the sampled waterbodies. Waterbody type was the only factor that explained a significant amount of the variation in physicochemistry during both sampling events. These data need to be supplemented by water quality information from additional sites and over longer time periods, as well as supporting data relating to other aspects, such as algae and invertebrates, before they can be used as a baseline for the long-term monitoring of freshwater ecosystems in the region.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Water quality – South Africa – Eastern Cape"
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Luyt, Catherine Diane. "Faecal source tracking and water quality in the Eastern Cape, South Africa." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018242.
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Water quality is concerning as many still lack access to safe drinking water. Alternate sources such as rivers (FC up to 1600 CFUs/100 mL) and rainwater are often polluted. Rainwater tanks require maintenance to improve water quality, but could be used for non-potable purposes or irrigation. Grahamstown infrastructural failures initiate deviations from DWAF 1996 domestic water guidelines for microorganisms within the distribution system. Frequent testing can decrease risks of waterborne diseases. Limitations to this are inaccessibility of rural areas, distances from testing centres and costs. The low cost H2S strip test able to be used onsite by communities, may aid in risk assessment. H2S strip test results are not affected by sulphate (14 to 4240 mg/L) or nitrite (up to 47 mg/L). Transportation of the H2S strip tests between 10 and 32°C does not modify results significantly. Similarly to other studies: Klebsiella spp.; Enterobacter spp. and Serratia spp. were isolated from H2S strip tests. The mH2S strip test corresponds best with HPC in treated water, while in untreated river water it has approximately 90% correspondence with FCs, while survival of FC causes discrepancies with the H2S test after 22 days. A faecal coliform inactivation rate of 0.1 CFUs/ day, may be longer than many pathogens. Faecal source tracking, not currently practised in South Africa, could aid health risk assessments for disaster management, which would improve the NMMP programme. Bacterial survival times could propose the time period for which water is unsafe. Bifidobacteria and Rhodococcus are proposed to help identify the faecal pollution source. But enumeration of Rhodococcus is too lengthy (21 days). The tracking ratio of bifidobacteria (between 0.1 to 6.25) is not source definitive. The bifidobacteria survival rate, could indicator the time since faecal pollution. The bifidobacteria average survival rate is 2.3 CFUs per day for both groups. The culturability and selectivity of agar is still poor, with total bifidobacteria less selectively culturable. Enterococci overgrowth of TB was decreased by Beerens media. SUB is still useful to identify potential human faecal inputs. A single tracking method is thus not suitable alone, but requires a combination of techniques.
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Mpange, Zolisa Bavuyise. "Water service delivery for improved quality of life in the Mbizana Local Municipal." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018891.
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This study deals with water service delivery for improved quality of life in the Mbizana Local Municipality. The study sets out to determine how the inner workings of water service delivery work in the Mbizana Local Municipality, situated in the Eastern Cape, and how this should function in terms of South African legislation. The objectives of the study are to understand the current state of water service delivery in the Mbizana Local Municipality, finding out information about South African legislation regarding the ideal state of water service delivery, and recommending development programmes to improve water service delivery. This study is about understanding trends in the body of scientific knowledge or literature, and studying (as objects) the ideas and writings of other scholars. No empirical study was conducted. The research methodology for this study is descriptive, with data sourced from available literature. The findings in this study indicate that backlogs for water service delivery remain high in the Mbizana Local Municipality. Regrettably, the situation has worsened since 2004; backlogs have shifted from 45 percent to 94 percent of households with no access to tap water. A number of normative criteria to deal with the research problem were extracted from available literature, from which conclusions were drawn and recommendations made.
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Pretorius, Liaan Marié. "Spatial and temporal variability in water quality characteristics of the Swartkops Estuary." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/4176.
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Water quality characteristics of the heavily urbanised and industrialised Swartkops River catchment in the Eastern Cape has been the focus of several studies since the 1970s. Overloaded and poorly maintained wastewater treatment works (WWTW), polluted stormwater runoff and solid waste have had a negative impact on the water quality status of the Swartkops River and estuary. Past studies have revealed that a distinct relationship exists between land use activities and the water quality of the Swartkops Estuary, which in turn has raised concerns pertaining to the ecological, economic, recreational, and cultural value of the estuaryThe Swartkops Estuary has a Present Ecological State (PES) of Category D(1) and a Recommended Ecological Category (REC)(2) of a C (Van Niekerk et al., 2014). It is known that effective management of anthropogenic impacts on coastal systems requires a thorough understanding of the system’s biological responses to wastewater discharges and to hydrologic changes. For this reason, the objective of this study was to determine the current water quality status of the Swartkops Estuary, and to gain greater insight into factors controlling eutrophication. This was important as outdated water quality information was used in the Swartkops Integrated Environmental Management Plan (Enviro-Fish Africa, 2011) due to a lack of current data. To determine the current water quality status of the Swartkops Estuary the present study investigated spatial and temporal variability in physico-chemical parameters, nutrients, phytoplankton biomass and community composition, faecal bacteria, and “where possible” related this to historical water quality data. In general, points of entry into the estuary were investigated for their impact on nutrient enrichment and the bacteriological status of the estuary. Water quality surveys were completed in September 2012, November 2012, February 2013, May 2013 and August 2013The present study found evidence to suggest that water is not flushed as efficiently from the estuary as was previously the case, and that the natural hydrology of the estuary has been modified. These changes appear to be the effect of large volumes of wastewater discharges from the wastewater treatment works (WWTW), which has led to the additional stresses of increased vertical stratification and reduced vertical mixing. A build-up of dissolved inorganic nutrients has given rise to persistent eutrophic conditions and phytoplankton blooms occurring from the middle reaches to the tidal limit of the estuary. These findings were associated with a generally well oxygenated estuary; however, bottom water hypoxic conditions were recorded in the upper reaches of the estuary on two occasions and were generally associated with bloom.forming flagellates. Elevated concentrations of inorganic nutrients stimulated phytoplankton to attain high biomass ranging from 0 to 248 g l-1 (31.8 6.56 g l-1). All nutrients displayed positive linear gradients from the mouth to the tidal limit, showed significant (p < 0.05) temporal and spatial variability, and were significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with phytoplankton biomass. Phytoplankton blooms (> 10 000 cells ml-1) of several different groups were recorded from the middle reaches of the estuary to the tidal limit. Diatoms were the dominant group during increased freshwater inflow (at mean daily flow rate of 2.14 m3 s-1) and low DIP levels, whereas flagellates were generally the dominant group during reduced flow and under higher nutrient levels. Although the different tidal stages had no effect on phytoplankton biomass per se, it did support co-existance between phytoplankton groups. This was noted during the spring ebb tide in September 2012 (i.e. flagellates, diatoms and dinoflagellate) and in February 2013 (i.e. dinoflagellates, diatoms and chlorophytes). Phytoplankton blooms have become persistent in the middle to upper reaches of the estuary where chlorophyll-a was > 20 µg l-1 and cell density exceeded 10 000 cells ml-1; a situation not reported in previous studies. The Motherwell Canal was and still is the main source of nitrogen (generally in the form of ammonium) to the estuary, whereas the Swartkops River is still the primary source of phosphorus to the estuary. Since the stormwater canal services the large residential area of Motherwell where leaks in the sewer system, the dumping of night soil buckets, and faulty pumps are often reported, polluted discharges from the Motherwell Canal can enter the canal at any given point. In contrast to the canal, DIP loading from the Swartkops River to the estuary generally occurred under conditions of low flow, whereas nitrogen showed no apparent relationship. Faecal bacteria originating from the Motherwell Canal had the most profound effect on the bacteriological status in the middle reaches of the estuary, whereas the Swartkops River had an intermediate effect due to bacteria die-offs occurring between the point of release from the WWTW to the riverine reaches and the tidal limit of the estuary. Nevertheless, Escherichia coli and enterococci levels are still high, especially in the summer months rendering the estuary unsafe for recreation during this season. Historical data on trace metals in the water column were limited and thus observations from the present study could not be concluded with much confidence. However, preliminary data suggest that levels of copper, zinc, iron and cadmium have increased by at least 90% in the estuary, at the tidal limit of the estuary and in the Markman and Motherwell canals. High inputs of nutrients, trace metals and faecal bacteria to the estuary from land-use activities indicate the necessity for remedial actions with the main objective being to conserve and protect the estuary’s recreational, ecological and economic functions.
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Igbinosa, Etinosa Ogbomoede. "Surveillance of invasive vibro species in discharged aqueous efflents of wastewater treatment plants in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/245.
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Vibrio infections remain a serious threat to public health. In the last decade, Vibrio disease outbreaks have created a painful awareness of the personal, economic, societal, and public health costs associated with the impact of contaminated water in the aquatic milieu. This study was therefore designed to assess the prevalence of Vibrio pathogens in the final effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the Eastern Cape Province, as well as their abilities to survive the treatment processes of the activated sludge system either as free cells or as plankton-associated entities in relation to the physicochemical qualities of the effluents. Three wastewater treatment facilities were selected to represent typical urban, sub-urban and rural communities, and samples were collected monthly from August 2007 to July 2008 from the final effluent, discharge point, 500 meter upstream and downstream of the discharge points and analysed for physicochemical parameters, Vibrio pathogens prevalence and their antibiogram characteristics using both culture based and molecular techniques. Physicochemical parameters measured include pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, salinity, turbidity, total dissolved solid (TDS), dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrate, nitrite and orthophosphate levels. Unacceptably high levels of the assayed parameters were observed in many cases for COD (<10 - 1180 mg/l), nitrate (0.08 - 13.14 mg NO3- as N/l), nitrite (0.06 - 6.78 mg NO2- as N/l), orthophosphate (0.07-4.81 mg PO43- as P/l), DO (1.24 - 11.22 mg/l) and turbidity (2.04 -159.06 NTU). Temperature, COD and nitrite varied significantly with season (P < 0.05), while pH, EC, salinity, TDS, COD, and nitrate all varied significantly with sampling site (P < 0.01; P < 0.05). In the rural wastewater treatment facility, free-living Vibrio densities varied from 0 to 3.45 × 101 cfu ml-1, while the plankton-associated Vibrio densities vary with plankton sizes as follows: 180 μm (0 – 4.50 × 103 cfu ml-1); 60 μm (0 – 4.86 × 103 cfu ml-1); 20 μm (0 – 1.9 × 105 cfu ml-1). The seasonal variations in the Vibrio densities in the 180 and 60 μm plankton size samples were significant (P < 0.05), while the 20 μm plankton size and free-living vibrios densities were not. Molecular confirmation of the presumptive vibrios isolates revealed V. fluvialis (36.5 percent), as the predominant species, followed by V. vulnificus (34.6 percent), and V. parahaemolyticus (23.1 percent), and V. metschnikovii (5.8 percent) (detected using only API 20 NE), suggesting high incidence of pathogenic Vibrio species in the final effluent of the wastewater facility. Correlation analysis suggested that the concentration of Vibrio species correlated negatively with salinity and temperature (P < 0.001 and P < 0.002 respectively) as well as with pH and turbidity (P < 0.001), in the final effluent. Population density of total Vibrio ranged from 2.1 × 101 to 4.36 × 104 cfu ml-1 and from 2.80 ×101 to 1.80 × 105 cfu ml-1 for the sub-urban and urban communities treatment facilities respectively. Vibrio species associated with 180 μm, 60 μm, and 20 μm plankton sizes, were observed at densities of 0 - 1.36 × 103 cfu ml-1, 0 - 8.40 × 102 cfu ml-1 and 0 - 6.80 × 102 cfu ml-1 respectively at the sub-urban community‘s WWTP. In the urban community, counts of culturable vibrios ranged from 0 - 2.80 × 102 cfu ml-1 (180 μm); 0 - 6.60 × 102 cfu ml-1 (60 μm) and 0 -1.80 × 103 cfu ml-1 (20 μm). Abundance of free-living Vibrio species varied between 0 and the orders of 102 and 103 cfu ml-1 in the sub-urban and urban communities WWTPs respectively. Molecular confirmation of the presumptive vibrios isolates revealed the presence of V. fluvialis (41.38 percent), V. vulnificus (34.48 percent), and V. parahaemolyticus (24.14 percent) in the sub-urban community effluents. In the urban community V. fluvialis (40 percent), V. vulnificus (36 percent), and V. parahaemolyticus (24 percent) were detected. There was no significant correlation between Vibrio abundance and season, either as free-living or plankton-associated entities, while Vibrio species abundance correlated positively with temperature (r = 0.565; P < 0.01), salinity and dissolved oxygen (P < 0.05). Turbidity and pH showed significant seasonal variation (P < 0.05) in both locations. The Vibrio strains showed the typical multi-antibiotic-resistance of an SXT element. They were resistant to sulfamethoxazole (Sul), trimethoprim (Tmp), cotrimoxazole (Cot), chloramphenicol (Chl) and streptomycin (Str), as well as other antibiotics such as ampicillin (Amp), penicillin (Pen), erythromycin (Ery), tetracycline (Tet), nalidixic acid (Nal), and gentamicin (Gen). The antibiotic resistance genes detected includes dfr18 and dfrA1 for trimethoprim; tetA, strB, floR, sul2 blaP1, for tetracycline, streptomycin, chloramphenicol, sulfamethoxazole and β-lactams respectively. A number of these genes were only recently described from clinical isolates, demonstrating genetic exchange between clinical and environmental Vibrio species. This study revealed that there was an adverse impact on the physicochemical characteristics of the receiving watershed as a result of the discharge of inadequately treated effluents from the wastewater treatment facilities. The occurrence of Vibrio species as plankton-associated entities confirms the role of plankton as potential reservoir for this pathogen. Also the treated final effluents are reservoirs of various antibiotics resistance genes. This could pose significant health and environmental risk to the biotic component of the environment including communities that rely on the receiving water for domestic purposes and may also affect the health status of the aquatic milieu in the receiving water. There is need for consistent monitoring programme by appropriate regulatory agencies to ensure compliance of the wastewater treatment facilities to regulatory effluent quality standards.
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Orr, Kyla Kathleen. "Spatial and temporal variations in metals in the sediment and water of selected Eastern Cape Estuaries, South Africa." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005457.
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The spatio-temporal patterns in concentrations of selected metals within the sediment (Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Ni and Zn) and water (Cd and Pb) of three permanently open estuaries (Kariega, Kowie, Great Fish) and six temporary open-closed estuaries (Mpekweni, East Kleinemonde, West Kleinemonde, Riet, Kasouga, Boknes) were investigated. The concentrations of metals were influenced by size composition and total organic content of the sediments. Enrichment factors (EFs), using Fe as a reference element, and baseline linear regression models for metals vs. Fe were calculated to assess the extent of metal enrichment in the sediments. The mean concentrations of metals in the sediments(mg·kg⁻¹) showed ranges of 0.28 – 2.31 for Cd, 1.26 – 6.24 Co, 0.69 – 6.93 for Cu, 2119 – 14912 for Fe, 2.29 –14.01 for Ni, 4.81 – 22.20 for Pb and 5.77 – 21.75 for Zn. Mean normalized enrichment factors ranged between 0.75 – 6.19 for Cd, 0.53 – 2.71 for Co, 0.22 – 0.84 for Cu, 0.30 – 1.87 for Ni, 0.99 – 3.17 for Pb and 0.14 – 0.98 for Zn. All nine estuaries had average enrichment factors of greater than 1 for Cd. In general there was no enrichment of Cu and Zn in the sediments of any of the estuaries included in this study (EFs < 1). The Kariega, East Kleinemonde, West Kleinemonde, Riet and Great Fish Estuaries showed some degree of enrichment for Co (1 < EF < 4), Ni (1 < EF < 2) and Pb (1 < EF < 4), while the Mpekweni, Kasouga, Boknes and Kowie Estuaries were unenriched with these metals (EF < 1). Enrichment factors for Cd, Co and Pb typically followed the development gradient along the estuaries, suggesting anthropogenic enrichment. The concentrations of Cd and Pb in the water of the nine estuaries were also determined. The average concentrations of Cd and Pb in the water (μg·ℓ⁻¹) ranged between 0.05 – 3.32 and 0.75 – 34.13 respectively. On average the concentrations of Cd and Pb in the water of all the estuaries were below the South African recommended water quality guidelines for coastal marine waters. Variations in metal concentrations associated with changes in hydrology (wet vs. dry season) were determined in the water and sediment of the Kariega, East Kleinemonde and Riet Estuaries. Cobalt, Pb and Ni enrichment in the Kariega Estuary sediment was significantly higher during the dry season, and the mean concentrations of Pb and Cd in the water column were 19-fold and 66-fold higher in the dry season. The elevated concentration of metals during the dry season could be related to accumulation of diffuse pollution from human activities within the catchment area. Conversely, inflow of fresh water into the estuary had the net effect of reducing the concentration and enrichment of these metals within the Kariega Estuary due to scouring and outflow of estuarine water and sediment into the marine environment. The temporal variations in metal concentrations and enrichment factors were less pronounced in the temporary open-closed estuaries than the permanently open Kariega Estuary. The observed trend can probably be related to the low anthropogenic impact within the catchment areas of these systems, and the relatively smaller size of the catchments. Significant spatial variations existed in metal enrichment in the sediment of both the East Kleinemonde and Riet estuaries, with the highest degrees of enrichment occurring in the sediments from the marine environment and lower reaches.
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Zuma, Bongumusa Msizi. "Microbial ecology of the Buffalo River in response to water quality changes." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006182.
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South Africa’s freshwater quality and quantity is declining and consequently impacting on the ecological health of these ecosystems, due to increased agricultural, urban and industrial developments. The River Health Programme (RHP) was designed for monitoring and assessing the ecological health of freshwater ecosystems in South Africa, in order to effectively manage these aquatic resources. The RHP utilises biological indicators such as in-stream biota as a structured and sensitive tool for assessing ecosystem health. Although the RHP has been widely implemented across South Africa, no attempts have been made to explore microbial ecology as a tool that could be included as one of the RHP indices. This study used selected microbial responses and water physico-chemical parameters to assess the current water quality status of the Buffalo River. This study showed that water quality impairments compounded in the urban regions of King William’s Town and Zwelitsha and also downstream of the Bridle Drift Dam. The results also showed that the lower and the upper catchments of the Buffalo River were not significantly different in terms of water physico-chemistry and microbiology, as indicated by low stress levels of an NMDS plot. Though similarities were recorded between impacted and reference sites, the results strongly showed that known impacted sites recorded the poorest water physico-chemistry, including the Yellowwoods River. However, the Laing Dam provided a buffer effect on contributions of the Yellowwoods River into the Buffalo River. Multivariate analysis showed that microbial cell counts were not influenced by water physico-chemical changes, whilst microbial activity from the water and biofilm habitats showed significant correlation levels to water physico-chemical changes. This study demonstrated that further investigations towards exploitation of microbial activity responses to water physico-chemical quality changes should be channelled towards the development of microbiological assessment index for inclusion in the RHP.
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Odjadjare, Emmanuel Erufuare Onogwuwhenya. "Prevalence of listeria pathogens in effluents of some wastewater treatment facilities in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/246.
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Wastewater discharges may contain health compromising pathogens and carcinogenic and/or chemical substances that could compromise the public health and impact negatively on the environment. The present study was conducted between August 2007 and July 2008 to evaluate the Listeria abundance (as free-living and plankton associated species) and physicochemical qualities of the final effluents of three wastewater treatment facilities in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa selected to represent typical urban, peri-urban and rural communities and the impact of the discharged final effluents on their respective receiving watershed, as well as to elucidated the in vitro antibiotic susceptibilities and resistance genes profile of Listeria species isolated from the final effluents. The suitability of the secondary effluent of the urban treatment facility (as a case study) for use in agriculture and aquaculture with reference to recommended standards was also determined. Wastewater samples were collected from the raw sewage, secondary effluent, final treated effluent, discharge point, 500 m upstream discharge point, and 500 m downstream discharge point from all three locations on a monthly basis throughout the study period. Listeria abundance in the final effluents and the receiving watersheds varied between 2.9× 100 and 3.52 × 105cfu/ml across the sampled locations. Free-living listerial density across the sampled locations ranged between 0 and 3.2 × 103cfu/ml while counts of Listeria species attached to large (180 μm) planktons varied from 0 to 1.58 × 105 cfu/ml and those of the 60 and 20 μm categories were in the range of 0 to 1.32 × 103 cfu/ml and 0 to 2.82 × 105 cfu/ml respectively. Listeria abundance did not vary significantly with location and season; there was however, significant (P < 0.05; P < 0.01) variance in Listeria abundance with plankton sizes across the locations. Free-living Listeria species were more abundant in the rural and urban xii communities than plankton attached Listeria species; whereas the reverse was the case in the peri-urban community. Prevalence of Listeria in terms of total counts was 100 percent across all sampled locations. Free-living Listeria species showed prevalence ranging from 84-96 percent across the sampling locations; while Listeria species attached to large (180 μm) planktons exhibited prevalence ranging from 75 percent to 90 percent. The prevalence of medium-sized (60 μm) plankton associated Listeria species varied between 58 percent and 92.5 percent; whereas those of Listeria species attached to small (20 μm) planktons ranged from 65-100 percent across all three communities. Listeria prevalence was generally a reflection of the turbidity of the water system, with free-living Listeria species being more prevalent than plankton associated cells in the relatively less turbid rural and urban waters compared to the more turbid peri-urban waters where plankton attached cells were more prevalent in comparison with their free living counterparts The final treated effluent quality fell short of recommended standards for turbidity, chemical oxygen demand and phosphate across all three communities. In addition, the final effluent of the rural treatment plant also fell short of recommended standard for NO3, while that of the urban treatment plant did not comply with acceptable limits for dissolved oxygen and nitrite. Other physicochemical parameters were compliant with set standards after treatment. An inverse relationship was observed between chlorine residual and listerial density across the sampled facilities; the effect of chlorine was however not enough to eliminate the pathogen from the water systems. At the urban treatment plant and its receiving watershed, pH, temperature, EC, turbidity, TDS, DO, and nitrate varied significantly with season and sampling point (P < 0.05; P < 0.01). Salinity also varied significantly with sampling point (P < 0.01), while COD and nitrite varied significantly with season (P < 0.05). Although, the treated effluent fell within recommended water quality standard for pH, TDS, nitrate and nitrite, it fell short of stipulated standards for other parameters. Whereas the microbial quality of the secondary treated effluent at this (urban) facility fell short of recommended standard after secondary treatment, its physicochemical quality were generally compliant with recommended standards for reuse wastewater in agriculture and aquaculture. Listeria pathogens isolated from effluents of the rural wastewater facility were sensitive to 11 (55 percent) of the 20 test antibiotics, and showed varying (7-71 percent) levels of resistance to 8 antibiotics; whereas those isolated from the peri-urban community showed sensitivity to 6 (30 percent) of the 20 test antibiotics, and varying (6-94 percent) levels of resistance to 12 antibiotics; while the urban effluent isolates were sensitive to 3 (15 percent) of the 20 test antibiotics, and showed varying (4.5-91 percent) levels of resistance to 17 antibiotics. Multiple antibiotic resistances involving 78.5-100 percent of isolates and antibiotics combination ranging from 2-10 antibiotics was observed across the sampled locations. Penicillin G and ampicillin showed remarkably high (64-91 percent) phenotypic resistance across the three sampled facilities. Other antibiotics, to which isolates showed significant resistance, were linezolid (22-88 percent); erythromycin (43-94 percent) and sulphamethoxazole (7-94 percent). Two of the 14 Listeria strains isolated from the rural effluents were positive for ereA and sul1 antibiotic resistance genes; while sulII genes were detected in five of the 23 Listeria isolates from the urban effluent and none was detected in isolates from the peri-urban community. The presence of antimicrobial resistance genes in the isolates did not correlate with phenotypic antibiotic resistance. The current study demonstrated that Listeria pathogens easily survived the activated sludge treatment process as free-living and plankton attached entities and suggests that municipal wastewater treatment plants are a significant source of multiple resistant Listeria pathogens in the South African aquatic milieu. While the physicochemical quality of the urban final effluent suggests that it is a major source of pollution to the receiving watershed, the secondary effluent quality demonstrated a great potential for use in agriculture and aquaculture.
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Mlangeni, Moses Mbendela. "A contingent valuation of river water inflows into the Swartkops, Kariega, Mngazi and Mngazana Estuaries in the Eastern Cape." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/569.
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Many South African estuaries are currently believed to be generating lower levels of services than they used to in the past due to substantially reduced inflow of river water, among other reasons. The basis by which river water is allocated in South Africa has had to be re-examined. Local authorities are now required to integrate into their development planning sensitivity to the ways estuaries work; the relevant legislation being the Municipal Systems Act No. 32 of 2000. Sound water resource management requires that the benefits and costs of different water allocations be compared and an optimum determined. The Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) is used in this study to estimate the benefits of changing allocations of river water into estuaries. This study builds on a CVM pilot project done at the Keurbooms Estuary in the Southern Cape in year 2000 (Du Preez, 2002). Further CVM studies were conducted at the Knysna, Groot Brak and Klein Brak estuaries (Dimopolous, 2004). The CVM is a valuation technique based on answers given to carefully formulated questions on what people are willing to pay for specified changes of freshwater inflows into estuaries. The CVM depends on there being a close correspondence between expressed answers given to hypothetical questions and voluntary exchanges in competitive markets that would be entered into if money did actually change hands. The fact that it has proved very difficult to establish this correspondence has led to CVM being subject to criticism. However, many aspects of this criticism have been addressed in the form of methods to reduce biases, and the application of the technique has grown steadily in popularity during the past 25 years. Four estuaries, the Swartkops, Kariega, Mngazi and Mngazana, were surveyed as part of this study in order to determine users’ willingness to pay (WTP) for changes in freshwater inflows. Considerable research time was devoted at the estuaries getting to know how things worked around and in the estuaries. The Swartkops estuary is a permanently open system within the Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan area. The estuary has the third largest salt marsh in South Africa. Its banks are highly developed with residential and industrial property and it is heavily used for both recreation and subsistence fishing by locals. The Kariega estuary is located near the semi-rural town of Kenton-on-sea, between Port Elizabeth and East London. Although it is permanently open, the Kariega estuary has very low inflows of river water. It is mainly used by retired pensioners living in holiday houses at Kenton-on-sea. The Kariega is not heavily used for recreation and subsistence fishing, except during holidays and the festive season because of its proximity to other estuaries such as the Bushmans and the Kleinemond. The Mngazi and the Mngazana estuaries are located in the Wild Coast area of the Eastern Cape, in the Port St Johns Municipal district. The Mngazi is a temporarily open/closed system which does not have high botanical ratings, although it is heavily used by visitors to the well known Mngazi River Bungalows, a highly rated hotel near the mouth of the Mngazi River. The Mngazana estuary is a permanently open system renowned for its Mangrove forests and excellent fishing spots. Both the Mngazi and Mngazana estuaries are located in rural areas and are heavily used by local village residents for subsistence purposes.
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Clifford-Holmes, Jai Kumar. "Fire and water : a transdisciplinary investigation of water governance in the lower Sundays River Valley, South Africa." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017870.
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The implementation of water policy and the integrated management of water face multiple challenges in South Africa (SA), despite the successes of post-apartheid government programmes in which some significant equity, sustainability and efficiency milestones have been met. This study uses a series of intervention processes into municipal water service delivery to explore the context, constraints, and real-world messiness in which local water authorities operate. The equitable provision of drinking water by local government and the collaborative management of untreated water by ‘water user associations’ are two sites of institutional conflict that have been subjected to broad ‘turnaround’ and ‘transformation’ attempts at the national level. This thesis seeks to explore and understand the use of transdisciplinary research in engaging local water authorities in a process of institutional change that increases the likelihood of equitable water supply in the Lower Sundays River Valley (LSRV). Fieldwork was conducted as part of a broader action research process involving the attempted ‘turnaround’ of the Sundays River Valley Municipality (SRVM) between 2011 and 2014. A multi-method research approach was employed, which drew on institutional, ethnographic, and systems analyses within an evolving, transdisciplinary methodology. In the single case study research design, qualitative and quantitative data were collected via participant observation, interviews and documentary sources. Analytical methods included system dynamics modelling and an adapted form of the ethnographic tool of ‘thick description’, which were linked in a governance analysis. Government interventions into the SRVM failed to take account of the systemic complexity of the municipal operating environment, the interactions of which are described in this study as the ‘modes of failure’ of local government. These modes included the perpetual ‘firefighting’ responses of municipal officials to crises, and the simultaneous underinvestment in, and over-extension of, water supply infrastructure, which is a rational approach to addressing current water shortages when funds are unavailable for maintenance, refurbishment, or the construction of new infrastructure. The over-burdening of municipalities with technocratic requirements, the presence of gaps in the institutional arrangements governing water supply in the LSRV, and the lack of coordination in government interventions are analysed in this study, with policy recommendations resulting. The primary contribution of this study is in providing a substantively-contextualised case study that illustrates the value of systemic, engaged, extended, and embedded transdisciplinary research.
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Gcilitshana, Onele. "Quality indices of the final effluents of two sub-urban-based wastewater treatment plants in Amathole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1019816.
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Worldwide, water reuse is promoted as an alternative for water scarcity, however, wastewater effluents have been reported as possible contaminants to surface water. The failure of some wastewater treatment processes to completely remove organic matter and some pathogenic microorganisms allows them to initiate infections. This manifests more in communities where surface water is used directly for drinking. To assess water quality, bacteria alone cannot be used as it may be absent in virus-contaminated water. This study was carried out to assess the quality of two wastewater treatment plant effluents from the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Physicochemical parameters and microbiological parameters like faecal coliforms, adenovirus, rotavirus, hepatitis A virus, norovirus and enterovirus were evaluated over a projected period of one year. Physicochemical parameters were measured on site using multiparameters, faecal coliforms enumerated using culture-based methods and viruses are detected using both conventional and real-time PCR. Physicochemical parameters like electrical conductivity, turbidity, free chlorine and phosphates were incompliant with the standards set by the Department of Water affairs for effluents to be discharged. Faecal coliform counts were nil for one plant (WWTP-R) where they correlated inversely (P < 0.01) with the high free chlorine. For WWTP-K, faecal coliforms were detected in 27% of samples in the range of 9.9 × 101 to 6.4× 104 CFU/100ml. From the five viruses assessed, three viruses were detected with Rotavirus being the most abundant (0-2034176 genome copies/L) followed by Adenovirus (0–275 genome copies/L) then Hepatitis A virus (0–71 genome copies/L) in the WWTP-K while none of the viruses was detected in WWTP-R. Species B, species C and Adv41 serotypes were detected from the May 2013 and June 2013 samples where almost all parameters were incompliant in the plant. The detection of these viruses in supposedly treated effluents is suggestive of these being the sources of contamination to surface water and therefore renders surface waters unsafe for direct use and to aquatic life. Although real-time PCR is more sensitive and reliable in detection of viruses, use of cell-culture techniques in this study would have been more efficient in confirming the infectivity of the viruses detected, hence the recommendation of these techniques in future projects of this nature.
Books on the topic "Water quality – South Africa – Eastern Cape"
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Khosa, Godwin, ed. Systemic School Improvement Interventions in South Africa. African Minds, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.47622/9781920677374.
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Looking at two smaller-scale systemic school improvement projects implemented in selected district circuits in the North West and Eastern Cape by partnerships between government, JET Education Services, and private sector organisations, this book captures and reflects on the experiences of the practitioners involved. The Systemic School Improvement Model developed by JET to address an identified range of interconnected challenges at district, school, classroom and household level, is made up of seven components. In reflecting on what worked and what did not in the implementation of these different components, the different chapters set out some of the practical lessons learnt, which could be used to improve the design and implementation of similar education improvement projects. Many of the lessons in this field that remain under-recorded to date relate to the step-by-step processes followed, the relationship dynamics encountered at different levels of the education system, and the local realities confronting schools and districts in South Africa's rural areas. Drawing on field data that is often not available to researchers, the book endeavours to address this gap and record these lessons. It is not intended to provide an academic review of the systemic school improvement projects. It is presented rather to offer other development practitioners working to improve the quality of education in South African schools, an understanding of some of the real practical and logistical challenges that arise and how these may be resolved to take further school improvement projects forward at a wider district, provincial and national scale.
Book chapters on the topic "Water quality – South Africa – Eastern Cape"
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Zamxaka, M., G. Pironcheva, and N. Muyima. "Analysis of the microbiological situation of the quality of domestic water sources and identification of the microorganisms in them, located in the semi-arid regions of the Eastern Cape, South Africa." In Water Resources of Arid Areas, 535–40. Taylor & Francis, 2004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/9780203023402.ch63.
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Olujimi, O. O., O. S. Fatoki, J. P. Odendaal, and O. U. Oputu. "Variability in Heavy Metal Levels in River Water Receiving Effluents in Cape Town, South Africa." In Research and Practices in Water Quality. InTech, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/59077.
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Phaswana-Mafuya, N., A. S., I. Senekal, and S. Munyak. "Patient Satisfaction with Primary Health Care Services in a Selected District Municipality of the Eastern Cape of South Africa." In Modern Approaches To Quality Control. InTech, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/23675.
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Mdungela, Nomalanga, Yonas Bahta, and Andries Jordaan. "Farmer’s Choice of Drought Coping Strategies to Sustain Productivity in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa." In Toward a Sustainable Agriculture: Farming Practices and Water Use. MDPI, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/books978-3-03842-331-7-5.
Full textConference papers on the topic "Water quality – South Africa – Eastern Cape"
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Van Toorenenburg, K., M. W. Blakeley, C. R. Carvajal, and J. F. Bijkerk. "Reconstruction of Sediment Routing into the South African Cape Basin for Reservoir Quality Predictions." In Fifth EAGE Eastern Africa Petroleum Geoscience Forum. European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.3997/2214-4609.2021605057.
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Fosu, Agyei. "Technology versus Quality Education in an Underdeveloped Region: A Case Study of UNISA Students in Former Ciskei Homeland in Eastern Cape." In InSITE 2017: Informing Science + IT Education Conferences: Vietnam. Informing Science Institute, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.28945/3780.
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Aim/Purpose: This paper seeks to show how University of South Africa (UNISA) is using technology to connect lecturers, tutors and students of [UNISA] in an underdeveloped region in South Africa (SA) to reduce cost and time of travelling to access information, tutorials and help [available] in designated centers, hence making quality and higher education more accessible and less costly. Background: This empirical study gives evidence to back the effectiveness, helpfulness and cost reduction of using technology as a medium of making quality and higher education accessible to under developed regions. Methodology Quantitative and purposeful sampling was deemed appropriate for the study, whereby 200 questionnaires was developed and specifically distributed to UNISA students from former Ciskei towns at East London Tutorial Center. Contribution: The paper is about the usage of mobile technology for knowledge creation and dissemination, instruction and learning, The data generated and presented add to the knowledge base about underdeveloped countries. This data and the conclusions reached based the analysis could be of interest to researchers, university administrators, politicians, planners and policy makers in underdeveloped countries. Findings: Evaluation of the overall effectiveness, helpfulness and cost reduction of e-tutorials show a slight advantage over the face-face tutorials. Recommendations for Practitioners: In the quest for ways and means of making quality and higher education accessible to underdeveloped regions, no matter which medium is chosen, the periodic measurement of success in terms of effectiveness, helpfulness, and cost implication in relation to the learner cannot be over looked. Recommendation for Researchers: More work needs to be done to check the effectiveness of technology as an efficient medium to provide access to quality and higher education to underdeveloped regional economies. Impact on Society The results could have significant implications for raising the level of education and advancing employment equity by improving the delivery and accessibility to quality and higher education to underdeveloped regional economies. Future Research: The analysis of cost efficiency and effectiveness done in this work is just representative of one point of view: the student one of accessibility and cost. There is, however, need in future work to research the implications for the institutions of higher education (in terms teaching design, curriculum design, knowledge of individual learning types, need for change in and rate of change in knowledge view, learning philosophies), individual stakeholders, and the competitive repositioning of society.