Quality audit of drinking water sources in Ikwo rural setting of Ebonyi State, Southeastern Nigeria
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Quality audit of drinking water sources in Ikwo rural setting of Ebonyi State, Southeastern Nigeria Y. Titilawo1 · F. Nwakpa1 · S. Bankole1,2 · O. Nworie1 · C. Okoro1 · M. Titilawo3 · J. Olaitan3 Received: 5 July 2019 / Accepted: 13 February 2020 © Islamic Azad University (IAU) 2020
Abstract We assessed the quality status of surface and ground waters used for drinking in Ikwo, Southeast Nigeria, using the physicochemical and bacteriological qualities, and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles following standard procedures. Overall. the mean values of the physicochemical qualities of the water samples revealed the following: colour (brown/dark-brown/ colourless), odour (objectionable), temperature (28–30 °C), pH (6.30–7.50), electrical conductivity (12.94–12.99 µs cm−1), total dissolved solids (7.74–7.80 mg L−1), alkalinity (0.3–1.4 mg L−1), hardness (19–252 mg L−1), chloride (0.8–3.1 mg L−1), copper (0.01–0.72 mg L−1) and zinc (0.03–1.49 mg L−1). Only nitrate was not detected all through. Likewise, total heterotroph, coliform and Escherichia coli counts ranged from 1.16 to 6.96 × 103 cfu mL−1, 150 to 2400 MPN/100 mL and 45 to 345 CFU/100 mL, respectively. The antimicrobial susceptibility profiles showed that the E. coli isolates were relatively susceptible to gentamycin (58%) and levofloxacin (50%), with high percentages of the isolates displaying resistance against tetracycline (78%), norfloxacin (76%), nalidixic acid (76%), augmentin (68%), ampiclox (62%), doxycycline (62%) and amoxil (52%). While the physicochemical parameters were generally within the permissible limits of the WHO guidelines, reverse is the case for the bacteriological loads. Exceedance of bacteriological water quality criteria and prevalence of multidrugresistant E. coli indicate high levels of microbial and drug pollutants in the waters, rendering them unfit for direct human ingestion without proper pretreatment. Keywords Waters · Physicochemicals · Coliforms · Heterotrophs · Multidrug-resistant E. coli
Introduction Water, the most abundant resource on earth, occupies about three quarters of the earth crust. It is essential for life’s sustenance, and almost all activities carried out by man spanning domestic, industrial, agricultural, recreational, transportation, commercial to energy purposes. It constitutes about 70% of the human body, and vital for physiological processes carried out daily by the body. This has promoted the continuous evaluation of water against future degradation * Y. Titilawo [email protected] 1
Department of Biology/Microbiology/Biotechnology, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu‑Alike Ikwo, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
2
Department of Microbiology, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria
3
Department of Microbiology, Osun State University, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria
that may affect the human body. The different uses of water and its great importance have resulted in great emphasis on its quality and ability to sustain its various usages (Vandas et al. 2002; I
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