title: Removal of indigenous coliphages and enteric viruses during riverbank filtration from highly polluted river water in Delhi (India).
abstract: Emerging countries frequently afflicted by waterborne diseases require safe and cost-efficient production of drinking water, a task that is becoming more challenging as many rivers carry a high degree of pollution. A study was conducted on the banks of the Yamuna River, Delhi, India, to ascertain if riverbank filtration (RBF) can significantly improve the quality of the highly polluted surface water in terms of virus removal (coliphages, enteric viruses). Human adenoviruses and noroviruses, both present in the Yamuna River in the range of 10(5) genomes/100 mL, were undetectable after 50 m infiltration and approximately 119 days of underground passage. Indigenous somatic coliphages, used as surrogates of human pathogenic viruses, underwent approximately 5 log10 removal after only 3.8 m of RBF. The initial removal after 1 m was 3.3 log10, and the removal between 1 and 2.4 m and between 2.4 and 3.8 m was 0.7 log10 each. RBF is therefore an excellent candidate to improve the water situation in emerging countries with respect to virus removal.
authors.affiliation: * Free University of Berlin, Malteserstrasse 74-100, Berlin, Germany *Both authors contributed equally.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sprenger
authors.affiliation: * Free University of Berlin, Malteserstrasse 74-100, Berlin, Germany *Both authors contributed equally.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lorenzen
authors.affiliation: Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environmental Agency), Corrensplatz 1, Berlin, Germany E-mail: mlopezpila@yahoo.de.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grunert
authors.affiliation: Indian Institute for Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ronghang
authors.affiliation: Helios Klinikum Berlin Buch, Schwanenbecker Chaussee 50, 13125 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dizer
authors.affiliation: Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environmental Agency), Corrensplatz 1, Berlin, Germany E-mail: mlopezpila@yahoo.de.
authors.forename: H-C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Selinka
authors.affiliation: University of Barcelona, Diagonal 645, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Girones
authors.affiliation: Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environmental Agency), Corrensplatz 1, Berlin, Germany E-mail: mlopezpila@yahoo.de.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lopez-Pila
authors.affiliation: Indian Institute for Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Mittal
authors.affiliation: Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environmental Agency), Corrensplatz 1, Berlin, Germany E-mail: mlopezpila@yahoo.de.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Szewzyk
mesh_terms: D003090:Coliphages / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004770:Enterovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005374:Filtration / Q000379:methods*; D060587:Groundwater / Q000821:virology*; D007194:India; D045483:Rivers / Q000821:virology*; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000032:analysis; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*; D060753:Water Quality; D014881:Water Supply