Bacteriological Assessment of Water Quality of Hand Dug Wells in Bakori District, Nigeria

Abstract

Bacteriological qualities of fifteen hand-dug wells were assessed over a period of three months, beginning from January 2016 to March 2016. Water samples were collected in sterilized glass bottles of 200ml capacity and analyzed using routine methods (APHA, 2005). Total Coliform bacteria range between 0.00cfu/100ml to 80.00cfu/100ml during the study period. Mean Total Coliform Bacteria (MTCB), however, stood at 30.90cfu/100ml which was far beyond WHO (2000) Standard for varying degrees. This renders the well waters unfit for drinking as abstracted. It’s therefore recommended that intervention measures such as boiling of waters and sanitary improvement be instituted. Awareness about construction, location and care of hand-dug wells should be made. Government is also advised to sink borehole in the study area to avert imminent outbreak of water-borne diseases.

Key Words: Coliforms, Well, Borehole, Bakori.