Bacterial and chemical quality of water supply in the Dertig village settlement

Abstract

Water contaminated with microbiological and chemical constituents can cause a variety of diseases. Water intended for human consumption should be safe, palatable and aesthetically pleasing. Water sources have different qualities influenced by natural or anthropological pollution. In South Africa, the availability of safe and clean water is a serious problem, especially in rural areas. Most people in such areas use water directly from available sources without any treatment and therefore are exposed to a variety of water-related diseases. The objective of this study was to determine the chemical and microbiological quality of drinking water supply to a rural community in order to estimate the health implications thereof. Water samples were collected weekly from five water sources. The chemical quality of all the water sources analysed was acceptable. In contrast, however, the microbiological quality of all the water sources exceeded the standard of potable water and the sources pose a serious health risk to consumers.