Evidence of health risk in stored domestic water in Maiduguri , North Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

In Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, water supply is insufficient despite the fact that the town's sources of water are a treatment plant and deep wells. There is a long dry season and short rainfall period characteristic of an arid region. This makes water very essential especially for domestic purposes. As a result of the above, water storage is a common practice among the populace. The commonest way of storing water is the construction of underground structures traditionally called ‘dams'. Water samples from randomly selected ‘dams' in a peri-urban part of the town were analysed microbiologically. The organisms isolated were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Enterobacter aerogenes, and Clostridium.It was concluded that the water in these storage systems was faecally contaminated and thus pose a health risk.

Keywords: water storage, structures traditionally called dams, Maiduguri, microbiological analysis, faecally contaminated water

Global Journal of Environmental Sciences Vol. 4(2) 2005: 160-163