ABSTRACT

The present study aimed at the comparative bacteriological analysis of borehole water and stream water in three communities within umudike for human consumption. Comparative bacteriological analysis of borehole and stream water sources in three randomly selected communities namely: Olokoro, Ibere and Umuariaga conducted to examine their quality and fitness for human consumption. A total of twelve water samples were collected from sic randomly selected boreholes and streams from the stipulated study area were analyzed using standard analytical techniques and instruments. The most probable number technique and the plating out on culture media were used for the analysis. For the most probable number technique, bottles of sterile MacConkey broth (purple) containing inverted durham tubes fot the collection of gases which were added before sterilization of the broth was done. The tubes were incubated at 37oC for 24 hours. There was color change and durham tubes in the bottles trapped gases in both water samples examined but the stream water in Umuariaga and the two streams in Ibere was discovered to more contaminated having 12, 18 and 12 coliforms respectively as compared to the boreholes in same communities having 7, 3 and 5 coliforms respectively. The stream water and borehole in Olokoro and Umuariaga were within the acceptable standard of world health organization. The microbial count (CFU/ml-1) indicated that the microbial load of stream water sample is higher compared with borehole water samples. The heterotrophic plate count of the borehole range from 2.0 X10-5 to 5.5 X 10-4 while the stream range from 3.4 X 10 -5 to 7.4 X10 -4 respectively. The total coliform plate count ranges from 2.3 X10 -5 to 5.5 X10 -4 on the borehole water while the stream water ranges from 2.9X10-5 to 6.5 X10 -4 respectively. Total Staphylococcal plate count ranges from 1.9 X10 -5 to 5.0 X10 -4 on the borehole water and stream water 1.9 X10-5 to 5.1 X10-4 respectively. Salmonella Shigella was counted evenly on the stream water sample than 1.1 X 10-5 to 4.2 X10-4 and also the stream water sample has 1.6 X 10-5 to 6.3 X10-4 respectively. The bacterial distribution of the isolates showed that Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella specie and Micrococcus specie was isolated from the boreholes from the three communites while in the streams, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella specie, Micrococcus specie and Shigella specie was isolated. Comparing both water sources shows that the stream water from the three communities was more grossly polluted and unfit for human consumption. The research study was done to comparatively evaluate the borehole and stream water within umudike for human consumption.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title               Page 

Title Page           i

Certification page                                                                                                                 ii

Dedication                                                                                                                            iii

Acknowledgments                                                                                                                iv

Table of Contents                                                                                                                  v

List of Tables                                                                                              vi

 Abstract           vii

Chapter One                                                                                               

1.0 Introduction                                                                                                           1

1.2 Aims and Objectives                                              3

Chapter Two 

2.0 Literature review                                                                                                      4 

2.1 Sources of Water                                                                                                      4

2.1.0 Atmospheric Water                                                                                                  4

2.1.1 Surface Water                                                                                                           5

2.1.2 Ground Water                                                                                                           5

2.2 Importance of water to man and other organisms                                                    6

2.3 Water  Pollution and its Control                                                                               6

2.4 Water Quality Assessment                                                                                       9

2.4.0 Physical Quality of Water                                                                                       11

2.4.1 Microbiological Quality of Water                                                                           12

2.5 Borehole water and other two sources of water for human consumption               14

Chapter Three 

3.0 Materials and Methods                                     16                                     

3.1 Study Area                                                                                                               16

3.1.1 Sampling   Strategy                                                                                                  16

3.1.2 Sample Collection                                                                                                    17

3.1.3 Bacteriological Analysis                                                                                          18

3.1.4 Media Preparation                                                                                                    18

3.1.5 Sterilization of Glass wares                                                                                      18 

3.2 Isolation of Bacteria from Borehole and Stream Water Samples                            18                                                                                                                     

3.2.1 Identification of Bacterial Isolates from Borehole and Stream Water Samples      19                                                                                        

3.2.2 Biochemical Tests                                                                                                    19

3.2.3 Most Probable Number (MPN) Test           22

3.3 Comparison between Bacterial Isolates from Borehole Water and Stream Water  Sample

3.4 Comparison between the Result Generated and the WHO Standard for Drinking Water Quality       

Chapter Four 

4.0 Results                                              24          

4.1 Results   Showing the Bacterial Count Isolated from Borehole and Stream Water 

            Samples                                                                                                                   24

4.2 Results Showing the Identification and Characterization of Bacterial Isolates from

             Borehole and Stream Water Samples.          27

4.3 Results Showing the Distribution of Bacteria Isolated from Borehole and Stream Water

            Samples                                                                           29

4.4 Results Showing the Most Probable Number Tests for the Occurrence of the Presumptive

           Coliforms in the Borehole and Stream Water Samples in Comparison with the WHO  

           Standard for Drinking Water Quality 32

Chapter Five 

5.0 Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendation             35

5.0 Discussion                                                                                                                   35

5.1 Conclusion                                                                                                                  36

5.2 Recommendation                                                                                                        36                                                                                               

References                                                                                                                             38