Comparative Study on the Physicochemical and Bacteriological Quality of Some Drinking Water Sources in Abuja, Nigeria

Diseases caused by contaminated water consumption and poor hygiene are among the leading cause of death in children, the elderly and people with compromised immune system. The present study aims to assess the drinking water quality of some selected drinking water sources in the chosen study area using water quality index (WQI). Samples of drinking waters were collected from four different sources—river, sachet (packaged), borehole and well in Jabi, Abuja, Nigeria for physicochemical and bacteriological analyses using standard methods. With the exception of pH, river water had the highest content of all the physicochemical parameters examined. Some of the physicochemical parameters such as temperature and pH determined in this study were mostly within the World Health Organization (WHO) standard. The bacteriological analyses revealed that the highest total viable counts of 1.54 (0.12) × 10² (cfu/mL) were obtained in the river sample while the least values of 0.03 (0.00) × 10² (cfu/mL) were obtained in the sachet water. Three bacterial isolates of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas spp and Aeromonas spp were isolated from well water while Pseudomonas spp and Proteus spp were isolated from borehole water. All other bacteria were isolated from the river. The study demonstrates that the safest drinking water source in Idu district, Jabi, Abuja is the sachet/packaged water while the least safe is the river water due to the presence of significant opportunistic pathogens. The results of this study are beneficial for water quality management and could be used for low-cost effective water quality assessment in Jabi.