ABSTRACT
The quality of water supply is assessed by its physico-chemical and bacteriological properties. This study was carried-out with the aim of determining the contamination level of domestic water sources of Samaru community, Zaria, Northcentral Nigeria in order to observed the trend of change in quality of these water sources, if any. This was with a view to safeguard the public health of the riparian users against a possible outbreak of water borne diseases. Water samples were collected and analyzed for bacteriological and physicochemical quality using standard procedures. The results showed that the mean values recorded for physico-chemical parameters among the domestic water sources were within stipulated limits of WHO for safe drinking water except for chloride mean value of 314 ± 142.4 mg/L recorded in borehole water. The total heterotrophic bacterial counts recorded in tap, borehole, well, reservoir and river water samples (3.67 × 106 ± 1.25 × 106, 5.67 × 106 ± 8.49 × 105, 2.60 × 107 ± 6.09 × 106, 5.07 × 106 ± 1.59 × 106 and 6.02 × 107 ± 3.69 × 106) exceeded the WHO permissible limits for drinking water (<500 cfu/ml). High abundance of isolated bacteria genus such as Enterobacter, proteus, Escherichia, Salmonella and Shigella were recorded in well, river and reservoir water systems. There was a strong positive correlation between the total bacteria count and physico-chemical parameters, which suggested that the parameters influenced bacterial growth. The occurrence of these bacterial geniuses in the water sources are considered capable to cause potential health consequences for the consumers. Therefore, proper purification and treatment of domestic water sources of the Samaru community should be ensured before being used by the riparian users.
