Assessment of the Domestic Water Quality in a Higher Institution in the Niger Delta of Nigeria

Gabriel James¹ , Odokuma Lucky Obukowho²

1. Microbiology Department/Faculty of Science, Edwin Clark University (ECU), Delta State, Nigeria.
2. Microbiology Department/Faculty of Science, University of Port Harcourt (uniport), Rivers State, Nigeria.

Section:Research Paper, Product Type: Journal-Paper
Vol.9 , Issue.11 , pp.14-25, Nov-2023

Online published on Nov 30, 2023

Copyright © Gabriel James, Odokuma Lucky Obukowho . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 

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Abstract :
This current study assessed the domestic water quality in a higher institution in the Western Niger Delta of Nigeria. The study objectives focused on evaluating the microbiological and physicochemical parameters associated with the used domestic water in the institution, compare the results with the National (NESREA) and International (WHO) Standards for domestic water acceptability, demonstrate sources of contamination and suggest technological solutions. The regulatory standards of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) of Nigeria and the World Health Organization (WHO) were used as control standards in this study. Twenty-two (22) domestic water samples were collected from six different sampling stations of the institution. These sampling stations were labeled as Male Hostel 1, Male Hostel 2, Female Hostel, Staff Quarters, Cafeteria and Law Faculty Borehole respectively. Standard microbiological and physicochemical methods were employed for water quality assessment. Average results of microbiological parameters such as Total Heterotrophic Bacteria (3.6 x 105 CFU/ml), Total Coliform (6.6 x 104 CFU/ml), Fecal Coliform (4.4 x 104 CFU/ml), Fecal Streptococci (2.7 x 104 CFU/ml), Vibrio (7.8 x 104 CFU/ml), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3.9 x 104 CFU/ml) and Total Fungi (1.8 x 104 CFU/ml) from all the sampling stations, were above the National (NESREA) and International (WHO) regulatory limits of Total Heterotrophic Bacteria (1.0 x 102 CFU/ml), Total Coliform (0 CFU/ml), Fecal Coliform (0 CFU/ml), Fecal Streptococci (0 CFU/ml), Vibrio (0 CFU/ml), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (0 CFU/ml), Total Fungi (0 CFU/ml) in all the water samples analyzed. Protozoa (8.5 x 102 cysts/ml) and Helminthes (1.5 x 102 cyst/ml) were found in only two (2) samples in the study. Results of some of the physicochemical parameters such as Dissolved Oxygen (39.25 mg/l), Calcium (61.175 mg/l), Oil and Grease (287.83 mg/l), Potassium (24.63 mg/l) and Turbidity (6.03 NTU) from all the sampling stations were above the National (NESREA) and International (WHO) regulatory limits of Dissolved Oxygen (4 – 10 mg/l), Calcium (50.00 mg/l), Oil and Grease (100.00 mg/l), Potassium (0.50 mg/l) and Turbidity (5.00 NTU) for drinking water. Escherichia coli is the predominant organism isolated from all the sampling stations assessed in this current study. The study showed that the domestic water used in the higher institution in the creeks of the Western Niger Delta of Nigeria, did not meet the NESREA and WHO regulatory standards for domestic water acceptability. Lack of water treatment plant, poor hygiene of water users, poor sanitation and lack of proper maintenance of the water facilities are causes of contaminations in the used domestic water of the institution. The study therefore, recommends construction of Water Treatment Plant across boreholes, regular inspection and maintenance of water facilities as well as proper handling of the water before usage.

Key-Words / Index Term :
Microbiological. Physicochemical. Domestic Water. Regulatory Limits. Western Niger Delta.

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