Bacteriological and Physicochemical Status of Well and Borehole Water Sources in Some Andoni Communities, Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

The menace of diseases of bacterial origin arising from water sources can be best controlled by probing the factors influencing their prevalence within different localities. A study was carried out to evaluate the bacteriological and physicochemical status of well and borehole water sources in some Andoni Communities, Rivers State. Water samples from 3 communities (Ngo, Ukwa and Inyorong) were collected randomly for each study period, and subjected to standard laboratory procedures to analyze for parameters such as temperature, pH, total dissolved solid (TDS), salinity and electrical conductivity. The bacterial species were isolated, enumerated and characterized in two seasons, using standard bacteriological methods. Results of the physicochemical analysis showed that all the parameters were within the WHO limits, except for pH, which had values below the regulatory standard. There was however, a significant difference (p <0.05) in the pH of the water from the three different communities studied. The mean total heterotrophic bacterial counts for well water and borehole water samples were 4.24±2.96 x 106 cfu/ml and 4.89±3.48 x 106 cfu/ml, respectively. However, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the total heterotrophic bacterial counts obtained for well and borehole water samples in the three communities. The results of the seasonal variation showed that the dry season recorded higher mean values of 4.93±3.85 x 106 cfu/ml, 1.56±1.89 x 104 cfu/ml, and 3.4±0.33 x 102 cfu/ml, for the different bacterial groups compared to the wet season with mean value of 4.54±2.72 cfu/ml, 1.35±0.35 cfu/ml and 2.22±0.16 cfu/ml for Total Heterotrophic Bacterial Count (THBC), Total Coliform Counts (TCC) and Feacal Coliform Count (FCC), respectively. However, there was no significant difference between the bacterial populations in the two seasons. The results further showed that the Total Heterotrophic Bacterial Counts (THBC) were higher in the morning (4.65±2.59 x 106 cfu/ml) than in the afternoon (4.33±3.5 x 106). Total Coliform Counts (TCC) and Feacal Coliform Count (FCC) were on the other hand, higher in the afternoon with values of 1.74±2.03 x 104 cfu/ml and 5.1±1.1 x 104 cfu/ml for Total Coliform Counts (TCC) and Feacal colifom respectively. Bacterial isolates prevalent in this study were Staphylococcus aureus, Serratia mercesens, Klebsiella spp., Enterococcus aburiae, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, with Klebsiella spp. being the most prevalent (87.5%). The presence of enteric bacteria, which serve as markers of faecal pollution, indicates the extent of contamination of the water sources utilized by the rural populations examined. Water treatment and disease preventive techniques should be implemented to avoid any future outbreak.