Abstract
The study focused on the physicochemical and bacteriological quality of public swimming pools in the Tamale Metropolis. Physicochemical properties such as pH, temperature, and conductivity, and bacteria counts—including total coliform, faecal coliform, Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus, and total heterotrophic bacteria—were analyzed for their conformity with required health standards. The results obtained were analyzed using Student t test and compared with World Health Organization (WHO) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for safe recreational and drinking water. The highest and the lowest temperatures were recorded in April (32.53 °C) and February (28.16 °C), respectively. The lowest and the highest mean pH values were 4.04 and 6.13, which were below acceptable standards. The conductivity level varied from 469.1563 µS cm−1 to 928.1563 µS cm−1. While the pH did not conform to acceptable standards, temperature and conductivity were within the EPA and/or the WHO acceptable limits. The total coliform (TC) expressed in colony-forming units per 100 mL ranged from 0 to 397 (cfu/100 mL), faecal coliform (FC) 0 to196 cfu/100 mL, E. coli 0 to 52 cfu/100 mL, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) 8 to 27 cfu/100 mL, and Total Heterotrophic Bacteria (THB) 44 to 197 (cfu/mL). TC, FC, E. coli, S. aureus, and THB counts in most of the samples complied with the bacteriological standards. However, the bacterial loads increased and exceeded the WHO and/or EPA standards as the number of bathers increased. Besides, there were positive correlations between physicochemical parameters such as temperature, pH, and bacterial loads. Most parameters studied met the acceptable standards of recreational water stipulated by the WHO and EPA. However, the presence of pathogenic organisms in the recreational waters at any point in time should be treated as a public health concern, and hence a call for routine monitoring and inspection of public swimming pools in the Tamale Metropolis.
Highlights
Water is one of the essential needs of man, both for food and recreation
The temperature of the swimming pool waters ranged from 26.5 ◦ C to 32.7 ◦ C, with the highest and the lowest mean values observed in April and February, respectively
Temperature and conductivity showed a positive trend with the growths of total coliform (TC), faecal coliform (FC), E. coli, and Total Heterotrophic Bacteria (THB) in all cases, while pH positively correlated with microorganisms
Summary
Water is one of the essential needs of man, both for food and recreation. Life originated in water, making it a basic necessity to life. No other substance serves man in so many ways as less. J 2020, 3 crucial for society as a whole than for the well-being of each individual [1,2,3]. Most swimmers have reasons for swimming, including; sports, rehabilitative treatment, and recreational purposes. Swimming pools must be controlled and be free from any disease-causing organism such as bacteria and other pathogenic microorganisms. Swimming pool water should meet potable water standards by being transparent, odorless, tasteless, and having a freezing point of 0 ◦ C and boiling point of 100 ◦ C [5]
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