Bacteriological Quality of Reclaimed Wastewater Used for Irrigation of Public Parks in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Abstract-Bacteriological quality of reclaimed wastewater used for irrigation of thirty public parks located in Dubai and Sharjah was evaluated. Bacterial contaminants (Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Shigella and Enterobacter aerogenes) were tested by membrane filtration technique using Bismuth Sulphite Agar (BSA) and Violet Red Bile Agar (VRBA) media. The results showed the presence of Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli, Entereobacter aerogenes and other unidentified bacterial species on various selective media with different occurrence rates. The most common type of bacteria observed on the BSA media were Shigella (63%), E. coli (30%), Salmonella (10%) and a large percentage of unidentified bacteria (97%). Whereas on VRBA media the most common bacteria detected were E. coli (83%), unidentified bacteria (76%) followed by Enterobacter aerogenes (70%). The overall results obtained in the present study demonstrated that only 40% of the reclaimed wastewater samples examined complied with the local and widely accepted international standards of less than 1000 fecal coliforms/100mL for unrestricted irrigation. Further studies are recommended to determine the survival rate of Salmonella and other coliform group bacteria in the soil irrigated by reclaimed wastewater. In addition, detailed research should be conducted to establish the identity of Salmonella, Shigella (up to the species and sub-species level) and other unidentified bacteria which were detected in most of the reclaimed water samples.Index Terms-Bacteriological quality, reclaimed wastewater, public parks.

Microbial Quality of Treated Wastewater and Borehole Water Used for Irrigation in a Semi-Arid Area

“…Borehole water exhibited the lowest counts of Shigella spp., followed by the night-dam exit. The results are in agreement with findings by Al Mimi et al [30], who reported on 50 CFU/100 mL in a study where bacteriological quality of reclaimed wastewater used for irrigation was characterized in Dubai and Sharjah. In the present study, the low counts of Shigella spp.…”

“…However, in the night-dam exit, the counts were above 1000 CFU/100 mL, which showed an increase with movement and storage of treated wastewater post treatment. The findings were in a similar range to those observed by Al Amimi et al [30]. Standards for reclaimed water use in agriculture had been set from the minimum counts of 5 to 300 CFU/100 mL for various vegetables [31,32].…”

Bacteriological quality of the wastewater used for irrigation at the vegetable farms in Korle-bu Teaching Hospital, Accra Metropolis, Ghana

“…16 Also, mean total bacterial colony count values in the range of 0.1–415 × 10 −5 and 1–107 CFU/100 mL have been isolated from wastewater used for irrigation at the golf courses in Spain, Portugal and the United Arab Emirates. 17,18 The differences in mean total bacterial colony count values may be due to the sources, types and levels of contamination of the wastewater used in irrigation in each country.…”

Cryptosporidium and Cryptosporidiosis: The Perspective from the Gulf Countries

“…Cryptosporidium oocysts have also been found in chlorinated water samples, as well as effluent samples collected from sewage treatment plants [114]-an indication that the water treatment systems (wastewater disinfection) have failed to eradicate the transmissible stages of Cryptosporidium in the water treatment process. In the UAE, it is not routine to test for the presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in recreational water and reclaimed wastewater, while bacteriological (total and faecal coliforms) indices are the only biological parameters used to assess their water quality [114,130].…”