Abstract:
Water is basic necessity for human health and biological activity within living things. The quality of drinking water has always been a major health concern, especially in developing countries. This study focused on the assessment of microbial quality and some physicochemical properties of drinking water samples of different sources in seka chekorsa town, Jimma zone, and its surroundings. The standard plate count method was used for bacteriological analysis for enumeration of total and fecal coliforms; Most Probable Number (MPN) method was used. Physico-chemical analysis was done following standard procedures of American Public Health Association (2011). Results of the current study showed that only 37% of population in the study area had access to potable drinking water. About 56.6% of the study subjects dispose waste material in open field. The entire water sample from wells and springs were positive for total coliform and fecal coliform. Fecal coliform were recorded in 60% of the samples with a mean value ranging from 0.5 to 5.26 CFU/100ml, but 64% of tap water samples were found negative for fecal coliform, and E. coli were not detected in all tap water samples. Entrobacteriaceae, Bacillus and Pseudomonas were among the dominant bacterial groups frequently isolated from the water samples. Salmonella was detected in two water samples (one each from well and spring) while Shigella species were encountered in none of the water sample. The mean temperature of all the three categories of water samples ranged between 20.2 0 C to 24.4 0 C and that of pH was between 5.85 and 8.56. The lowest and highest mean values of total dissolved solid recorded from the water samples were 136 and 331mg/l, respectively. The mean concentration of total suspended solid and turbidity values ranged between 11.2 and 47.4mg/l and 1.53 to 55.08 NTU, respectively. Likewise, electro-conductivity and Nitrate concentrations ranged from 43.1 to 407μs/cm and 0.535 to 14.764mg/l, respectively. In general, the results of the present study have shown that some of the Physico chemical and bacteriological parameters had values beyond the maximum recommended limits set earlier. Thus, it is recommended that the government and the other responsible authorities have to take appropriate corrective measures to curb the existing health problems through improvement of access to potable water and regular monitoring of the existing condition besides awareness development on hygienic practices.
