Bacteriological Quality of Borehole Water in Gusau Metropolis

Abstract

Microbes are ubiquitous and are known to contaminate materials, including food and water. We examined the bacteriological quality of borehole water in Gusau metropolis to determine its potability. Triplicate samples were collected from fifteen (15) different boreholes and analyzed. The total bacterial load, total coliform, fecal coliform, and Salmonella-Shigella count were determined using the membrane filtration technique. The average counts were as follows: total bacteria ranged from 6×10^1 cfu/ml to 39×10^1 cfu/ml, total coliform count from 3×10^1 cfu/ml to 65×10^1 cfu/ml, fecal coliform count from 1×10^0 cfu/ml to 4×10^0 cfu/ml, and Salmonella-Shigella count from 0 cfu/ml to 4×10^0 cfu/ml. The isolated organisms were identified as Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, and Shigella spp. The predominant bacterial isolate was Escherichia coli. Our study indicated that the bacteriological quality exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) allowable limits of 0 cfu/100ml for total bacterial load, total coliform count, fecal coliform count, and Salmonella-Shigella count due to the underground aquifers. Therefore, we recommend that borehole water sources be adequately treated before consumption to reduce the risk of waterborne diseases.