Drinking Water Quality and Public Health of Selected Towns in South Western Nigeria

Abstract

This study was aimed at establishing a water quality database in the study area where none existed previously. Groundwater samples from bore-holes, hand-pump, and hand-dug wells of four densely populated towns in SouthWestern Nigeria were analyzed in respect to physicochemical factors, biological factors, and the metals Nickel (Ni), Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), and Iron (Fe) for six consecutive months from September 2012 to February 2013 to give mean values for each town and water source. Total aerobic plate, total coliform bacteria, and Escherichia coli (E. coli) were detected in most of the water samples from the different towns and sources considered. Except for total suspended solids and total solids, the physicochemical parameters of all the samples were within permissible limits. The concentrations Pb, Ni, Cr, and Cd were above the minimum permissible limits. The presence of coliforms and E. coli in the groundwater samples indicates fecal contamination. The microorganisms isolated in this study include Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Citrobacter, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, that bore-hole water samples were safer for drinking that water samples from hand-pump, and hand dug wells across the communities.

Assessment of the Efficiency of Disinfection Methods for Improving Water Quality

“…[1]. Water is an indispensable resource for supporting life systems [2][3][4], while access to safe drinking water is a basic human right, which is essential for healthy life [5][6][7]. Globally, about 1.1 billion people lack access to improved water supplies [8].…”

“…For shallow wells, the water was given a little disturbance with a drawing bucket for about five consecutive times to allow for proper mixing of the well water before the actual samples were drawn out. In each case, the PET bottles and stoppers were thoroughly washed with distilled water thrice and once with the water to be sampled before the actual sample collection [7]. At each site, three bottles were filled with water, one each for boiling, water guard and Pur Purifier treatments having no added acid while the fourth bottle was filled with the water from the same point and acidified by adding a few drops of 5 % HNO3 to stop microbial proliferation.…”

“…At each site, three bottles were filled with water, one each for boiling, water guard and Pur Purifier treatments having no added acid while the fourth bottle was filled with the water from the same point and acidified by adding a few drops of 5 % HNO3 to stop microbial proliferation. At the same time, samples for microbial analysis were collected using autoclave-sterilized sample bottles from the same locations [7]. The water samples were preserved in a refrigerator at 4•C to keep the water content intact until treatment and analyses were carried out.…”

“…Determination of the major anions was carried out with Ultraviolet spectrophotometer screening method [33] with a UV spectrophotometer (DR 2800, HACH, Washington, USA) [6-7; 15]. To maintain reliability and reproducibility in the analyses, the blank, standard, and pre-analyzed samples were analyzed after every 10 samples [7]. Standard methods were used to determine the total viable and coliform bacteria counts as colony forming units (CFU) in water samples [34].…”

Microbiological and physico-chemical analyses of hand dug well-water near pit latrine in a rural Area of Western Nigeria

“…Water pollution and reduction in quality is a major contributor to global freshwater scarcity, stressing the need for more integrated water management and monitoring (Dahunsi et al, 2014). Li and Jennings (2017a) also conducted a study on worldwide regulation of drinking water quality and pointed out that many *Corresponding author.…”