Bacteriological analysis and public perception about drinking water of boreholes in Arib (Ain Defla, Algeria)

Abstract

Water from boreholes in Arib (Ain Defla), south-west of Algeria was investigated to ascertain its quality status and suitability for drinking and domestic uses. Fifty six water samples were collected from four boreholes. The analyses of the Coliform counts obtained from various boreholes samples ranged between 0 and 200 CFU/ 100 ml with regard to total Coliforms and between 0 and 8 CFU/ 100 ml with regard to fecal Coliforms. Three of the boreholes samples showed contamination by Streptococcus sp. Pathogens like Salmonella were not identified but some low levels of sulfite-reducing bacteria was found. The interviews were done to assess perceptions on water taste problems, odour, colour, and turbidity and health problems. The respondents were taken from people in the community using random sampling technique. Sixty people were sampled at each area surrounding the boreholes. It was found out that 43.3% of the respondents rated their drinking water safe for consumption as well as absence of illness after drinking as indicators for judging the quality of the water. The others respondents (56.7%) reported having at least some concerns with safety of their water. More than 20% of the households reported at least one household member having suffered some water related illness in the past two years. Respondents were asked to judge the quality of the water, based on four sensory characteristics of drinking water. Many respondents rated the smell (33.3%), taste (20%), colour (23.3%) and turbidity (23.3%). These results showed that all the samples did not satisfy the WHO requirements for bacteriological characteristics in human consumption.