Investigation of Faecal Coliform Contamination of Domestic Water Sources in Ebonyi Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Aims: The investigation of faecal coliform contamination of domestic water sources in Ebonyi Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, Nigeria was undertaken.

Study Design: This was a descriptive study.

Place and Duration of Study: Ebonyi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria from September, 2014 to October, 2014.

Methodology: Samples from different water bodies in each of four communities in Ebonyi Local Government area were collected and analyzed using standard bacteriological methods for water analysis.

Results: In the four communities, well water samples from Mbeke and Ndiagu communities showed high content of faecal coliform with 50%, and 90% respectively, while faecal coliform from stream water samples was recovered more from Ndiabor and Nkaleke communities with 55.6% and 50% occurrences respectively. The result of the percentage bacteriological analysis showed that the faecal coliform and Escherichia coli have 45% and 12% prevalence respectively in stream water samples, 0% prevalence each in borehole water samples and 12.5% prevalence each in pond water samples.

Conclusion: The high presence of faecal coliform bacteria in these water bodies used for drinking, swimming and other domestic purposes is of public health significance considering the possibility of serving as vehicles for disease transmission. Effort should be geared towards educating the inhabitants of the study area on the need for proper disposal of refuse, treatment of sewage and the need to purify their water to make it fit for drinking and other purposes.