MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION OF POTABLE WATER IN AL AHSA REGION, SAUDI ARABIASAHIBZADA T. RASOOL, MOKHTAR JAWAD AND ABDUL SATTARAbstract One of the major sources of drinking water in Al-Ahsa region of Saudi Arabia is the underground water, which is supplied to consumers through water vehicles. With increasing population and geographic nature of the eastern province and increasing industrialization, it is likely that underground water quality has been compromised and it may not meet the international standards set for drinking purpose. Although most coliform bacteria are harmless, the presence of any coliforms in drinking water suggests the possible presence of disease-causing bacteria, parasites, or viruses. According to US Environmental Protection Agency, the Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCL) for total coliforms in drinking water is zero, which means water is only considered safe for drinking when it is completely free of coliforms. We sampled 103 sources of drinking (48 samples) and tap water (55 samples) from rural (54) and urban (49) areas of Al-Ahsa region and tested for the presence of Coliforms using Blood Agar and EMB media. Out of 103 samples 59 (57%) showed growth on blood agar plates and 27 (26%) of these were positive for coliforms. Among 26 samples of drinking water collected from rural areas 11 (42%) showed coliform growth whereas, only 3 out of 22 drinking water samples were positive for Coliform in the urban areas. Our results show that drinking water in Al Hasa rural areas is not suitable for drinking as per standards published by US Environmental Protection Agency.
Enter your contact information below to receive full paper.
|