Comparative Microbiological Assessment of Drinking Water Collected from Different Areas of Kathmandu Valley

Abstract

Objectives: This study was aimed to evaluate different water samples in terms of Total bacterial load and Total Coliform Load in comparison with different parameters such as pH, type of samples, chlorination status, turbidity, temperature and collection areas.
 Methods: Altogether 250 water samples were collected; 110(44%) were ground water samples, 60(24%) were public tap water samples and 80(32%) were bottled water samples. Total Coliform load was evaluated using Membrane Filtration Technique and Total Bacterial Load was evaluated using Aerobic Plate Count Technique. pH was measured using pH meter, turbidity was measured using nephelometer, temperature was measured using temperature probe and bottled water were considered chlorinated.
 Results: Among these 250 samples, the highest mean bacterial load was seen in public tap water samples (137×103 cfu/ml) and least mean bacterial load was seen on bottled water sample (28×103). Similarly, highest mean coliform load was seen on ground water samples (81 cfu/ml) and least mean coliform load was seen on bottled water samples (6 cfu/ml).
 Conclusion: This study has concluded that ground water samples contain large number of coliforms which suggest it might be fecally contaminated. Also the result had shown even bottled water contained coliforms. Therefore, it is recommended to treat ground water before using. Proper care must be taken during manufacture of bottled water.

Physiochemical and Microbiological Investigation of Surface and Ground Water Contaminants of Bhojpur Municipality

“…Drinking water quality in Nepal has been investigated by several researchers, such as (Diwakar et al, 2008;Magar et al, 2019;Prasai et al, 2007;Rojita et al, 2019;Sharma et al, 2005;Timilshina et al, 2013). Gopali (2008) studied the microbiological quality of chlorinated water in Kathmandu Valley.…”

“…Diwakar et al (2008) examined the physiochemical parameters and bacteriological analysis of drinking water of Bhaktapur municipality in the pre-monsoon season, and the results revealed water contained excessive ammonia and coliforms. Similarly, Magar et al( 2019) studied the microbiological contaminants of drinking water in different samples of Kathmandu Valley. The result revealed that coliforms were present in both groundwater and bottled water samples Karmacharya (2021) investigated processed water quality from the different treatment plants in Kathmandu Valley.…”

“…To assess the water quality in some bodies of water, measurements of contaminants, heavy metals, and the number of pesticides and herbicides can also be made. Some the diseases, like diarrhea, typhoid, and fever, are spread due to contaminated water and poor sanitation (Diwakar et al, 2008;Magar et al, 2019). These health hazards are the result of contaminated water and inadequate sanitation facilities.…”