Microbiological assessment of borehole water in Nagongera town council, Tororo Uganda

Abstract

The quality of drinking water is necessary for good health. Many diseases have been associated with poor drinking water quality including diseases caused by diarrheagenic pathogens, especially in developing countries where access to a consistent water supply is a problem. The objective of the study was to evaluate the health risks and quality of drinking water in Nagongera town council Tororo district using E. coli as a measurement tool. In this study, four functional boreholes were selected and drinking water samples were collected and assessed for their quality. Water samples were obtained from boreholes A which is behind Nagongera gospel church, B in joy Christian school and C in Nagongera mosque and E. coli and total coliform counts were determined using the pour plate method. Assessment for suitability was done using the WHO drinking water quality assessment guidelines. Generally, the study revealed significantly higher E. coli counts than the total coliform counts in the sampled boreholes, water samples from borehole A was found to poses the highest count compared to water samples from borehole B and C as seen from table 2 bellow. In conclusion, observations from the study implied that most water sources in the study district are highly polluted with bacteria pathogens beyond recommended safety guidelines. The main causes of faecal contamination in these water sources were purported to be anthropogenic. Therefore, there is a need to formulate a policy aimed at managing and improving rural water sources.