In this research, drinking water quality was investigated using acceptability, health, and nutrition-based indicators from 2010 to 2022 in Shiraz City (Fars province). Magnesium, fluoride, and calcium play a significant role in the contribution of drinking water in Shiraz City to the intake of dietary minerals. The acceptability water quality index (AWQI), health-based water quality index (HWQI), and drinking water quality index (DWQI) rankings in Shiraz City are excellent, but the average drinking water nutritional quality index (DWNQI) of Shiraz City is 77. 52 ± 5. 47, which falls within the good ranking. Therefore, while the conventional water quality indices (AWQI, HWQI, and DWQI) are excellent, the DWNQI index does not achieve an excellent rating, due to the inclusion of the nutritional value of water in the DWNQI index. In general, the trend of AWQI, HWQI, DWQI, and DWNQI over thirteen years in Shiraz City shows that the conventional drinking water quality indices (AWQI, HWQI, and DWQI) do not provide an accurate picture of the assessment of drinking water quality in many cases, as they do not consider the nutritional role of water. For this reason, water is sometimes treated more than necessary. Therefore, it is essential to revise the interpretation of drinking water quality using the DWNQI index to gain a comprehensive picture of drinking water quality.

Drinking water is one of the essential needs for human being. Today more water resources in most countries are an important point for development. Even in political and social fields and in international disputes, water plays an important role. Water shortage, water quality problems, inability of governments in operating thousands of kilometers of water distribution nets and pumping stations, thousands of wells and hundreds of aqueducts (Qantas) and springs in rural areas cause the essence of a serious revision in rural drinking water supply management (RDWSM). The goal of this research is to introduce principles of drinking water supply management, to select the water resources and to manage water purification, transmission and distribution in rural and small communities on the basis of the world health organization programs for developing countries. Considering the experiences of other countries in using the preceding recommendations and guidelines, if the managers of rural drinking water supply systems pay attention to the above points, the problems with drinking water supply in rural areas will be reduced. This is a review article whose author has presented more than sixteen years of experience and research in the field of DRWSM along with the WHO patterns from 1980 to 2004 regarding drinking water supply of rural and small communities. The principles of RDWSM in rural areas include drinking water quantity and quality management, water supply management and water resources selection, transmission and distribution. Studies show that water supply management in all rural areas should be changed and without using the experiences of other developing countries, WHO programs and in the sense of a traditional management, no one could expect that the water supply programs will be successful. The root of water supply problems in the last years in Iran should be identified and past mistakes must be prevented.

Background: Drinking water quality can be deteriorated by microbial and toxic chemicals during transport, storage and handling before using by the consumer. This study was conducted to evaluate the microbial and physicochemical quality of drinking water from bottled water coolers.Methods: A total of 64 water samples, over a 5-month period in 2012-2013, were collected from free standing bottled water coolers and water taps in Isfahan. Water samples were analyzed for heterotrophic plate count (HPC), tempera-ture, pH, residual chlorine, turbidity, electrical conductivity (EC) and total organic carbon (TOC). Identification of predominant bacteria was also performed by sequence analysis of 16S rDNA.Results: The mean HPC of water coolers was determined at 38864 CFU/ml which exceeded the acceptable level for drinking water in 62% of analyzed samples. The HPC from the water coolers was also found to be significantly (P<0.05) higher than that of the tap waters. The statistical analysis showed no significant difference between the values of pH, EC, turbidity and TOC in water coolers and tap waters. According to sequence analysis eleven species of bacteria were identified.Conclusion: A high HPC is indicative of microbial water quality deterioration in water coolers. The presence of some opportunistic pathogens in water coolers, furthermore, is a concern from a public health point of view. The results highlight the importance of a periodic disinfection procedure and monitoring system for water coolers in order to keep the level of microbial contamination under control.