Comparative study of the physicochemical and bacteriological qualities of some drinking water sources in Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Diseases caused by contaminated water consumption and poor hygiene are among the leading causes of death in children, the elderly and people with compromised immune system. The present study aims to assess the drinking water quality of some selected drinking water sources in the chosen study area using water quality index (WQI). Samples of drinking waters were collected from four different sources- river, sachet (packaged), borehole and well in Jabi, Abuja, Nigeria for physicochemical and bacteriological analyses using standard methods. With the exception of pH, river water had the highest content of all the physicochemical parameters examined. Excluding dissolved oxygen in river sample, the physicochemical parameters of the water sources were generally within the World Health Organization (WHO) standards. The bacteriological analyses revealed that the highest total coliform counts of 1.03 (0.08) x 102 cfu/ml were in the river sample while the least counts of 0.03 (0.00) x 102 cfu/ml were in the sachet water. All the  bacteriological values did not meet international standard as they were higher than WHO standard of zero per 100ml. Three bacterial isolates Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas spp and  Aeromonas spp, were isolated from well water while Pseudomonas spp and Proteus spp were isolated from borehole water. All other bacteria were isolated from the river. The study demonstrates that the safest drinking water source in Idu district, Jabi, Abuja is the sachet/packaged water while the least safe is the river water due to the presence of opportunistic pathogens. The
results of this study are beneficial for water quality management and could be used for low-cost effective water quality assessment in Jabi.

Keywords: Bacterial isolates, Abuja, water sources,  physicochemical parameters, bacteriological parameters