Shock chlorination: the solution to safer water?

The effectiveness of shock chlorination was assessed for reducing faecal contamination of water in hand-pumps, together with the feasibility of local hand pump mechanics performing shock chlorination services. Contaminated source water will directly affect all households accessing it and shock chlorination could be an opportunity for local providers to increase the value of services they offer to communities. Shock chlorination was conducted at 20 sources in Kumi District, Uganda and source samples were tested on the day of treatment and one week after. Despite significant improvement in water quality (p = 0.035), shock chlorination did not consistently improve the quality of the contaminated water to meet the Ugandan standard. The hand pump mechanics were able to provide this treatment at cost levels affordable to communities (2.90 USD/source), but the inconsistent improvements in water quality do not make it worth offering as an ongoing service.