Evaluation of Microbiological and Physicochemical Parameters of Alternative Source of Drinking Water: A Case Study of Nzhelele River, South Africa

Abstract

Background:Access to clean and safe drinking water is still a problem in developing countries and more pronounced in rural areas. Due to erratic supply of potable, rural dwellers often seek for an alternative source of water to meet their basic water needs. The objective of this study is to monitor the microbiological and physicochemical water quality parameters of Nzhelele River which is a major alternative source of drinking water to villages along its course in Limpopo province of South Africa.Methods:Membrane filtration method was employed in evaluating the levels of E. coli and Enterococci in the river water from January-June, 2014. Specialized multimeter was used to measure the pH, electrical conductivity and turbidity of the river water. Ion Chromatograph was used to measure major anions such as fluoride, chloride, nitrate and sulphate in the water.Results:High levels of E. coli (1 x 102 - 8 x 104 cfu/100 mL) and enterococci (1 x 102 – 5.7 x 103 cfu/100 mL) were found in the river water and exceeded their permissible limits of 0 cfu/100 mL for drinking water. Turbidity values ranged from 1.12-739.9 NTU. The pH, electrical conductivity, chloride, fluoride, nitrate and sulphate levels were below their permissible limits for drinking water.Conclusion:The river water is contaminated with faecal organisms and is unfit for drinking purposes. However, the levels of the major anions accessed were within the permissible limits of drinking water.

Ecological Public Health and Participatory Planning and Assessment Dilemmas: The Case of Water Resources Management

“…The observations resonate with other findings which reveal low community participation on use of available information on water resource management and planning e.g., [68]. The findings present a bleak scenario for public health related risks associated with water from various sources especially in the context of findings by [70,71,72]. …”

The Presence of Toxic and Non-Toxic Cyanobacteria in the Sediments of the Limpopo River Basin: Implications for Human Health

“…Thus, the higher concentration of phosphorus measured in the current study downstream of the Siloam oxidation ponds may be due to the discharge of sewage effluent [ 42 ]. The low concentration of phosphorus measured in the Lephalale River (S6) is possibly related to less anthropogenic land use activities upstream of this sample site [ 43 ].…”

“…The highest value of nitrogen was recorded in the Nzhelele River (S12) near the Mphephu Resort and downstream of Siloam hospital oxidation ponds. The reason for the detection of these high nitrogen values is possibly related to the discharge of sewage effluent from the Siloam hospital [ 42 ]. Filamentous cyanobacteria can obtain nitrogen by fixing the atmospheric nitrogen gas and converting it to nitrate for their growth [ 54 ].…”

Evaluation of contaminants removal by waste stabilization ponds: A case study of Siloam WSPs in Vhembe District, South Africa

“…Many countries have devised ways to treat wastewater before they are released into watercourses or reused. Wastewater management is a major challenge in developing countries as a result of low level of awareness, population growth, urbanization, industrialization and inadequate expertise ( Edokpayi et al., 2018b ; Cosgrove and Loucks, 2015 ; Beddow, 2010 ). Unfortunately, high generation of wastewater is often not accompanied by the expansion of wastewater treatment infrastructure ( Olukanni and Ducost, 2011 ; Beddow, 2010 ).…”