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March 28, 2025
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June 29, 2025
Published
June 30, 2025
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Abstract

Background: There has been abundant evidence and knowledge in the literature on the health risks of waste disposal in water. Yet, households’ perception of health risks is often regarded as erroneous and inferior, while scientific data, specifically water quality data, is viewed as superior and accurate.


Methods: Three hundred and eighty-four questionnaires were administered in four villages and analyzed using SPSS version 29.0 and Excel. Water samples were collected from the Ga-Selati River during the dry and wet seasons. Water quality assessment and MiniSASS were used to compare water quality indicators with the perceived health risks.


Results: The results show that variations exist between households’ perception of health risks and the scientific data from the laboratory, ascertained water quality indicators. Some perception statements match with laboratory data in relation to Temperature, pH, and Electrical conductivity (EC), Total Suspended Solid (TSS), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Dissolved oxygen (DO), Turbidity, Nitrates, Phosphorus and Bioindicators.


Conclusion: Our study highlights the need for a dialogue between households and researchers to develop new strategies to prevent the risks associated with waste disposal in water.

Keywords

Perceived risks waste management water bodies Perception Knowledge health

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Copyright (c) 2025 Tshegofatso Sebashe, Oladimeji Idowu Oladele, Mjabuliseni Simon C. Ngidi

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Author Biographies

Tshegofatso Sebashe, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Tshegofatso Sebashe is currently employed as an Environmental, Health, and Safety Officer at Ithalomso Waste Management. She holds a Master of Science degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, conferred under the School of Agricultural, Earth, and Environmental Sciences.  Her research interests include water quality and quantity issues, waste management, and environmental health. 

Oladimeji Idowu Oladele, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Oladimeji Idowu Oladele is an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural Extension & Rural Resources Management, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg Campus, South Africa. He has a PhD in Agricultural extension and Rural Development with several years of postdoctoral studies in Japan. His interests and activities cover empowerment through sustainable livelihoods and how the institutional linkages have impacted the livelihoods in West and Southern African countries as well as Southeast Asia. 

Mjabuliseni Simon C. Ngidi, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Mjabuliseni Simon C. Ngidi is a Food and Nutrition Security expert. Mjabu serves as an Associate Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, teaching and supervising across the disciplines of Agricultural Extension, and food and nutrition security.  His current work examines how impoverished populations mitigate hunger and starvation while analyzing existing food and nutrition security policies and their impact on Diets and health outcomes. 

How to Cite
Sebashe, T., Oladele, O. I., & Ngidi, M. S. C. (2025). Health Risks of Waste Disposal in Water: Scientific Data Versus Households’ Perception in Ba-Phalaborwa Limpopo, South Africa. Pan-African Journal of Health and Environmental Science, 4(1), 39–67. https://doi.org/10.56893/ajhes2025v04i01.04
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