Bacteriological quality of drinking water from source to point of use among rural communities of Farta Woreda in North West, Ethiopia

Abstract

Access to safe water is a universal need. However, many of the world's population lack access to adequate and safe water. Consumption of contaminated water with viruses, bacteria and parasites causes health risk to the public and the situation is serious in rural areas. So this study is aimed at assessing the bacteriological quality of drinking water at source and point of use among rural Communities of Farta Woreda, North Western, Ethiopia. A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in March 2014 in 41 rural Kebeles of Farta Woreda. A total of 120 water samples were obtained from protected water sources and household water storage containers and tested for Escherichia coli by using membrane filter methods. The contaminant risk of water sources and household storage containers were assessed by sanitary inspection checklist of World health Organization. Descriptive statistics (proportion and percentage) were used to count the E. coli load and the results were interpreted using World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for drinking water quality. All household water storage containers and majority 22(91.7%) of the protected wells and 5(83.3%) springs in the study area were not in compliance with WHO recommended values (0 CFU/100 ml of drinking water) for drinking water. Majority 10(41.7%) of protected well, 5(83.3%) protected spring and 42(46.7%) household storage containers had high sanitary risk score for E. coli. The water sources and also household water storage containers were heavily contaminated with E. coli. Source protection strategies, awareness creation on safe water handling practices as well as monitoring are necessary to enhance good drinking water quality.

Groundwater Biological Quality in Abuja FCT: Myths and Realities of Point and Non-Point Pollution of Fractured Rock Aquifers

“…Probably this holds true for some deep multilayered aquifers where the geology does not make it chemically unsafe and is deep enough for most bacteria to live in or sealed top-bottom. This explains the results of the groundwater biological quality in Abuja FCT, those of [28] in Kaduna [29] in Jigawa and [30]…”

Bacteriological Contamination of Drinking Water Supply from Protected Water Sources to Point of Use and Water Handling Practices among Beneficiary Households of Boloso Sore Woreda, Wolaita Zone, Ethiopia

“…is finding is agreed with the sample from store at Farta woreda, which showed 100% household storage samples were contaminated with E. coli [14,20]; a similar study conducted at Ghana Temale Metropolis found that 83% of household samples were positive for E. coli [11], and this finding was in compliance with the study conducted at Kolladiba town of Ethiopia, which showed that 32.5% water samples from household storage containers were found to be positive for faecal coliforms [17]. Similarly, a study conducted in Bona woreda of southern Ethiopia and Jimma zone of southwest Ethiopia showed that majority of water samples taken from household storage containers were not in compliance with the WHO guideline value of 0 CFU/ 100 ml [12,21,22].…”

“…e current study indicates that protected hand-dug wells and shallow wells had significantly more E. coli (60% of tested samples) as compared to protected springs (25% of tested samples). e same study held in Northwest Farta woreda, Amhara region, Ethiopia, showed 83.3% of sample International Journal of Microbiology springs and 91.7% protected wells were positive for E. coli [14]. is finding is agreed with the study conducted at Fogera and Mecha woredas of North Gonder, Ethiopia, which showed 73.77% of community water source samples were contaminated with E. coli.…”

“…e proportion of 1-10 and 11-50 CFU/100 ml water count is significantly higher for protected hand-dug well and shallow well, but it is lower for protected spring. e variation might be the protected springs are continuously openly flowed and easy to wash. is is also supported by a finding from Farta woreda [14]. e study in Serbo town, southwest Ethiopia, showed that fifty percent had faecal coliforms, of these 35.7% had E. coli [19].…”

“…In the same woreda with a different study, all sampled (a total of 90 households) water containers had E. coli. In case of risk classification, 33.3% and 8.3% of protected well water samples had very high and low sanitary risk scores for E. coli, respectively [14].…”