Assessment of the bacterial organisms in water from a lead-zinc mining pit in Ishiagu, Ebonyi state, Nigeria

Abstract

Twenty-four (24) bulk water samples collected from a lead-zinc mining pit in Ishiagu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria over a period of 2 years were used to assess the bacterial population of the mining pit water. Nine bacterial organisms, which included Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus sp., Escherichia coli, Flavobacterium sp., Chromobacterium sp., Alkaligenes sp., Shigella sp., and Citrobacter sp., were isolated. Pseudomonas species was the most prevalent, occurring 100% throughout the study period, and was followed by E. coli (91.6%), Bacillus species (66.6%), Flavobacterium species (50%) and Citrobacter (41.7%). Chromobacterium species prevalence was 33.3% and Proteus species 25%, while the least prevalent organisms were Shigella specie and Alcaligenes species that recorded 16.6% each. Rural communities in Ishiagu Local Government Area of Ebonyi state should be discouraged from using the mining pit water for domestic purposes through provision of potable alternatives.

International Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences Vol. 2(1) 2006: 29-33