Support in Reviewing the Study on Water Quality of the Bumbu River Watershed in Papua New Guinea

Details

Mission and objectives

Morobe Development Foundation Inc. is a leading Community based Group base in Lae Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea who has the vision to help young people reach their full potential by utilizing their hidden talents in community development initiatives so they can realize their potentail and become a role model in the community. MDF was established to address a broader and more diverse range of objectives and work through the use of dance, music and drama, MDF’s primary aim is to ensure that women participate equally in decision making in any project undertaken, including projects related to Ending Violence against Women, and promoting Human Rights with a aim to support the Government and UN their Development Goals. MDF in collaboration with the United Nations Volunteering Program (UNVP) has also undertaken various scientific research studies related to the environment - forest cover loss, land use land cover change, the influence of various parameters on surface waters, and coastal shoreline turtle habitat loss. These projects included the participation of various experts and researchers from diverse fields across various countries across the globe - ranging from marine biology, biodiversity conservation, PNG community management, remote sensing, and land use policy among various others. MDF is managed by a management committee, which is made up of the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman, Secretary, the Treasurer, the Project Coordinator, Community Development Officer, and a male and female member of the foundation, and ensures that women participate equally in decision making. We at MDF assert that we have the required skill sets, knowledge, established international network, and the necessary foundational work to undertake projects successfully.

Context

The Bumbu River Watershed is an essential source for the drinking and sanitation needs of the settlement communities of Lae, Papua New Guinea. However, poor sanitation and waste management practices have led to concerns over the safety and continued integrity of the water resources. In this study, we undertook a brief narrative review of articles pertaining to water scarcity, water quality, and the environmental and anthropogenic factors affecting water health. Then, we specifically explored the effect of these factors on water quality in the Bumbu river and its tributaries using water quality (22 sampling stations), geospatial (degree of urbanization), and community survey (sanitation and hygiene practices) data. The exponential growth of the world population during the 20th century has presented challenges in different contexts that are associated with socio-economic development; one of these is water scarcity, an issue that since the 1980s has attracted political and public attention. Continued population growth during the 21st century will further increase the demand and consumption of clean water across different sectors (e.g., industrial, energy, irrigation, domestic) and around the world. Access to drinking water is a human right – water is essential for daily needs such as for cooking, hydration, health, and hygiene. However, we are far from achieving this universal right, and clean water and sanitation is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 6. Thus, the availability of safe drinking water for human consumption is of vital importance but some developing countries have limitations regarding clean water, especially drinking water. Freshwater accounts for only 2.5% of the Earth’s water resource, of which only 1.2% is readily available as surface water for drinking and multi-use purposes. The UN General Assembly Resolution No. 64/292 of 2010 recognized access to safe drinking water and sanitation as a basic human right and, furthermore, it has been recognized as essential to the sustainability of good health and quality of life and as fundamental to the dignity of every person. The core idea of our study was to investigate the relationship between anthropogenic and environmental factors on water quality in the Bumbu River Watershed in Papua New Guinea. Overall, our research represents one step in a series of steps required to understand the relationship between water quality of the Bumbu River basin and the various factors that impact water quality. Within the limitations of data availability, various tools were utilized to uncover several unarticulated relationships between environmental and anthropogenic socio-economic parameters, and the quality of water in the Bumbu River. Furthermore, MDF have contributed significantly to the development of rural communities in Papua New Guinea. In recent times it has shifted its objective to carry out studies on various issues affecting the communities. In this regard MDF wanted to submit a paper for publication but needs a second opinion from an expert in another part of the world to assist and ensure that MDF successfully submit and have the paper published. Based on the foregoing, this assignment will help MDF to make a quality research work devoid of any error and get publish.

Task description

MDF requires the support of four online volunteers who have background knowledge, expertise and experience in water quality control, GIS mapping, community survey and publication. The task requires the volunteer to review, edit and provide recommendation into improving the water quality paper before submission to the journal for publication. The four online volunteers will be required to review and edit the following aspects of the research work, i.e.: what elements are associated with water scarcity, waterborne diseases, lack of access to clean water, what are the relationships between environmental and anthropogenic factors on water quality respectively. Further details on assigning the four aspects of the assignment to each of the four online volunteer(s) will be provided by MDF contact person. Specifically, each online volunteer is required to review, edit and provide recommendation of research work comprises of 30 pages (810 paragraphs, 1,811 lines, 13,794 words and 93,763 characters). The volunteer will be included as an author or acknowledged depending on his or her contributions in the paper as part of his/her benefit from the assignment in addition to the certificate of appreciation from the UNV.