Bacteriological analysis of borehole water in Uli, Nigeria

Abstract

Water samples from four different boreholes within Uli, Anambra State, Nigeria, were collected for five consecutive weeks for bacteriological analysis to assess the potability.The range of the means was from 1.5x102 to 5.9x104 cfu ml-1 for total aerobic bacterial load, 9 to 136 MPN per 100ml for total coliforms and 4 to 74 MPN per 100ml for faecal coliforms. The highest counts were consistently found in the sample from Cagramento Lodge, where the borehole was located in an unsanitary environment, near a pit laterine. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp., Proteus sp., Enterobacter sp., Pseudomonas sp., and Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from the samples. The findings show that the water from all the boreholes did not meet the World Health Organization Standards for Drinking Water and should be treated or boiled and filtered before drinking.

Keywords: Faecal coliforms, borehole water, Uli, Nigeria

AJAZEB Vol. 7 2005: pp. 116-119