On Development of GIS-Based Drinking Water Quality Assessment Tool for the Aral Sea Area

Abstract

This paper presents and discusses results of the GIS-based studies of the Zarafshan River including the territories of the Samarkand, Navoi and Bukhara provinces, where the epidemic situation from waterborne infections occurs, especially for typhoid fever and bacterial dysentery. Application of GIS allows complex studies to be conducted on the epidemiological conditions of this area which are necessary for monitoring, analysis, and prognosis of water supply sources and assessment of their influence on population health as well as for the decision-making process of the sanitation and epidemiology centers and other environmental protection organizations.