Public health concerns and water quality integrity of selected water sources in a peri-urban community

The quality of potable water and treatment of diseases related to water like infectious hepatitis, cholera, bacillary dysentery, typhoid, paratyphoid, salmonellosis, colibacillosis, giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, and amoebiasis are critical public health issues. This research investigated the microbiological and physico-chemical quality of water sources in six towns in a peri-urban community, Edo State, Nigeria. The pour plate method was employed to investigate the microbial counts. The DO (dissolved oxygen) of the stored rainwater was the highest (6.59 mg/l) while sachet water had the lowest (4.61 mg/l). The temperature and pH range varied with the sachet water having the highest temperature of 31.9 degrees C and highest pH of 6.49 while borehole water had the lowest temperature value of 30.4 degrees C while the stored rainwater had the lowest pH of 5.30. Total coliform counts of the samples 40.0 x 10(-2) cfu/ml to 152.0 cfu x 10(-2)/ml were highest in rainwater at Igueben town and lowest in sachet water at Udo town. The heterotrophic count was higher in the stored rainwater and lower in the sachet water; highest in Igueben town and lowest in Udo town. Bacterial species identified include Micrococcus sp (14.3%), Bacillus sp. (28.5%), Escherichia coli (14.3%), Pseudomonas sp., (7.1%), Enterobacter sp (7.1%) Staphylococcus aureus (7.1%), Corynebacterium sp. (7.1%), Samonella typhi (7.1%), and Vibro cholera (7.1%). Antibiotics susceptibility testing showed that all the Gram-bacteria were resilient to Amoxicillin except for Vibro cholera. All Gram-positive bacteria were susceptible to streptomycin and resistant to amoxicillin. Drinking water from a sachet is the only water source that is suitable for drinking, according to W.H.O standard. It is recommended that the stored rainwater and borehole water should be boiled and treated well before consumption. Control measures against waterborne diseases will require improving water quality at the source, treating household water, safe storage, and good hygiene. To avoid and reduce waterborne diseases, drinking water sources should be monitored regularly.