Bacteriological and physical quality of Fiche drinking water from households and reservoirs, Oromia, Ethiopia

Drinking water is the major source of bacteria pathogens in developing countries along with poor sanitation and contamination of food with a pathogen. More than half of the population of the country uses unimproved sanitation facilities while 36% of them practiced open defecation. The aim of the study was to investigate the suitability of public water for drinking. The study is designed to include a survey of 90 respondents and experimental analysis of 170 water samples from households and reservoirs. Water quality parameters, such as temperature, electrical conductivity, turbidity, total dissolved solids, and bacteriological parameters like total coliforms (TC) and fecal coliforms (FC) were determined. Many of the respondents (88.8%) remarked that the water has no smells, tastes, and color. The experimental analysis confirmed that temperature (19.7 degrees C), electrical conductivity (269.63 mu S/cm), turbidity (1.17 NTU), and total dissolved solids (134.3 mg/L) were found to be below the prescribed limit of World Health Organization guidelines for drinking water. Total coliforms (9.29 CFU/100 mL) and fecal coliforms (5.07 CFU/100 mL) were detected from pipe water sources during the wet season showing non-compliance with the guidelines. The reservoir samples were free from bacterial contamination. The main point of drinking water contamination was the household, where unsafe water handling practice was a common habit in the study area. Hence, awareness conception training on safe water handling practices is highly recommended for the communities.