Mohammad Mosaferi, Reza Yegani, Neda Gilani*, Abolfazl Majnooni-Heris, Ahmad Fakherifard, Nasimolzahra Toghyanian, Hossein Samadi Vakil, Rana Naderi, Sara Nikmaram, Ali Jalilizadeh, Fereydoon Armanfar,
Volume 8, Issue 4 (Winter 2023)
Abstract
Introduction and purpose: Water is a key element in hygiene during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present s tudy aimed to survey the opinions regarding the possible impact of Coronavirus on water and wastewater sources and facilities.
Methods: The experts and managers of the Regional Water Organization and the Water and Wastewater Company were surveyed using a checklist (ranking-descriptive) in the present cross-sectional descriptive s tudy. One-sample and two-sample chi-square tests and non-parametric Mann-Whitney test were used for s tatis tical analysis.
Results: In total, 70.9% of participants believed that the outbreak of COVID-19 affected the water resources and facilities in terms of consumption and supply while increasing the consumption (93.2%) and creating a significant challenge in supply (83%) had des tructive effects on other uses, especially agriculture (22.7%). Also, 92.3% believed that managing urban water consumption during the Corona outbreak and modifying the consumption pattern is necessary. The need for more preparation (79.6%), funding (86.8%), and training (96.8%) was recommended. Regular monitoring of water was emphasized by 70.9% of the participants. It is noteworthy that only 50.4% of the respondents believed that the treatment done on the water in the water treatment plants can control the coronavirus.
Conclusion: The performance of managers and experts regarding water sources and facilities is a function of their beliefs regarding the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. About 50% of the participants failed to believe in the effectiveness of the exis ting water treatment in deactivating the coronavirus. Also, specialized training is recommended to increase knowledge.
