Pesticide Contamination of Surface and Groundwater in an Ethiopian Highlands’ Watershed

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This paper investigates pesticide contamination of surface and groundwater in an Ethiopian highlands` watershed.

How did you measure pesticides in water? Please write section with analysis and sample preparation in the main part and in appendix.

You should make PCA or dendrogram for showing effect of variables on pesticides and vice versa.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer

Thank you for reviewing our manuscript. In the attached pdf, we have responded to your comments. We first repeated the comment. Next, we give our response which is followed by the changed text in the revised manuscript.

At the end of our response, we have added the marked-up manuscript. Due to the many changes in the revised manuscript, tracking interfered with the formatting and additional edits. So in the marked-up manuscript (attached at the end of this response), the crossed-out text is not shown. The text added is in blue font.  

Thank you again

For all authors

Tammo Steenhuis

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear authors, thank you for submitting the manuscript to the journal of Water. Its topic is very interesting. However, the current version of the paper suffers from a number of weaknesses related to the empirical strategy used. I have the following comments/questions for the authors:

Abstract

·         Line No. 16. Please replace "This study, therefore," to "Therefore, this study was conducted to".

·         Don’t use abbreviation on the first time. Define full form for the first time than after use abbreviation only (Please check in the entire manuscript). For example: WHO in line No. 29.

Introduction

·         The introduction section is too short. It was suggested to make it concise as much as possible. Rather than addressing this comment, authors further enhance the length of introduction by adding, so many necessary information. It must be made better. Try to highlight the regional or national significance of this study.

·         In introduction chapter please focus on problem generally, on the basis of examples in the whole World, not your study area.

·         Add some facts and figures of surface and groundwater quality around the globe in your introduction.

·         Add some recent article to make your introduction more attractive and strong. I propose to add this survey method in the overview section of the introduction section, based on the latest literature. Please add citations of newest literature.

https://doi.org/10.3390/w14071131

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proenv.2012.01.115

https://doi.org/10.3390/w13162258

Materials and Methods

Description of the Robit Bata watershed

·         Describe all the features of the Lake Tana basin in brief including climate, topography, geology, and hydrogeology?

·         Would you please give more information about the lake (e.g., max depth, average precipitation and evaporation, the prevalent climate, mixing regime, warm monomictic or polymictic)?

Data collection

·         Please give detailed information on water samplers (e.g., accuracy, manufacturer).

·         Sampling locations were selected carefully within the Lake Tana basin to have a good representation of the spatial variability of quality indicators across-section of water quality monitoring. What criteria where analyzed to select this locations?

·         What criteria where analyzed to select this locations (for example bathymetry plan of the Lake)?

·         Please provide detailed detection methods and quality control results?

·         Please support your methods by providing appropriate references or give the guidelines used to analyze the water quality parameters.

·         How did you do quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) on the obtained data to validate the conclusions?

Discussion

·         You should think how transformational the research is likely to be should be made so that the outcome of the work will have an impact on the community/society facing given sustainability related challenges?

·         Write the practical applications of your work in a separate section, before the conclusions and provide your good perspectives.

·         What are the economic benefits of this work?

·         Why do you believe your research to be important? What long-term impacts will it have on environmental protection and the wider public or the field following the completion of the research?

Conclusion

·         Concise the text in conclusion and add future work in order to recommend your work. Shorten the length of each and every paragraph by adding only relevant and major findings in your study.

Please respond to all of those comments in the revised manuscript by pointing out precisely and concisely on which page and in which line you have incorporated your response one by one.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Dear reviewer

Thank you for the thorough review of our manuscript. in the attached pdf, we have responded to your comments and detailed how the original text is changed. We first repeat the comment, followed by our response, and then cite text from the revised manuscript. The revised text is in blue font.

At the end of the response, we have appended the marked-up manuscript. Due to the many changes in the revised manuscript, tracking interfered with the formatting and additional edits. So in the marked-up manuscript, we do not show the crossed-out text. The text that is added is in blue font.

Thank you again

For all authors

Tammo Steenhuis

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

This paper is an interesting study and authors have presented new indices to evaluate pesticide concentrations in surface and shallow groundwater of rural watersheds in northern Ethiopian highlands and assess human and ecological pesticide risks.

The article is written correctly, includes a discussion of the research findings, and a good review of the literature. The results are presented in a clearly structured manner. The paper has a logical structure and clearly describes the methodology. The manuscript has been significantly improved and can now be accepted in current form.