Bacteriological Pollution of Rural Groundwater of Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

Pollution indicator bacteria were used in assessing the microbial quality of rural groundwater of Benue State. Water samples were collected from 26 rural community boreholes in the months of February and October for the dry and wet seasons respectively. The analyses was done according to standard methods of examination of water using multiple tube fermentation and most probable number(MPN) techniques in the determination of total coliform and faecal coliforms.The results was reported based on WHO drinking water guidelines. The results of analyses show all the boreholes have total coliform counts in varied concentrations for the wet and dry seasons. Coliform count ranged between 0.4x10¹ and 1.7x10¹(4-170) for wet season as against 0.4x10²(2-140) for dry season. Faecal coliform (Escherichia coli) of health implication were noted in 6(23%) of the boreholes and 4(15%) of the boreholes for wet and dry seasons. The presence of coliform bacteria in these boreholes may attributed to the sanitary environment of the boreholes as open defecation is common in the rural areas and poor construction and maintenance of the waterpoints. Discinfection, community protection of the boreholes and control of water polluting activities should be encouraged to safeguard the quality of drinking water for rural population. There is need for rural water developers to ensure that the bacteriological safety of groundwater harnessed by taking necessary precautions at the construction, finishing and maintenance stages of boreholes as contamination can occur at any stage. Local communities should be involved in all stages of development projects that affect their welfare.