TY - JOUR
T1 - Microbiological quality of drinking water from three flood-prone communities along the Odaw River in Accra, Ghana
AU - Baffoe, Abigail Abena
AU - Seidu, Razak
AU - Bawua, Serwaa Akoto
AU - Fobil, Julius
AU - Arko-Mensah, John
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors.
PY - 2024/12/1
Y1 - 2024/12/1
N2 - Access to safe drinking water is considered a fundamental human right, yet, in most developing countries, this is not the case, as microbial contamination of drinking water is commonly responsible for the transmission of many waterborne diseases, including cholera, typhoid fever, diarrhoea, and dysentery. The study aimed to assess the microbiological quality of drinking water from three communities along the Odaw River in Accra, known for their poor waste-disposal practices and incidents of flooding. Water samples were collected from community tap water and locally manufactured sachet-water from three flood-prone communities along the Odaw River, namely, Alajo, Avenor, and Agbogbloshie, and analysed for the presence of indicator organisms: total coliforms, faecal coliforms, and Escherichia coli (E. coli). All brands of sachet water sampled from the three communities had no microbial contamination. Conversely, most community tap water showed contamination with indicator organisms that exceeded the international standard of 0 per 100 mL for potable water. The presence of faecal coliforms and E. coli in community-shared tap water is an indication of poor water quality and may present a risk for waterborne disease outbreaks among households and communities.
AB - Access to safe drinking water is considered a fundamental human right, yet, in most developing countries, this is not the case, as microbial contamination of drinking water is commonly responsible for the transmission of many waterborne diseases, including cholera, typhoid fever, diarrhoea, and dysentery. The study aimed to assess the microbiological quality of drinking water from three communities along the Odaw River in Accra, known for their poor waste-disposal practices and incidents of flooding. Water samples were collected from community tap water and locally manufactured sachet-water from three flood-prone communities along the Odaw River, namely, Alajo, Avenor, and Agbogbloshie, and analysed for the presence of indicator organisms: total coliforms, faecal coliforms, and Escherichia coli (E. coli). All brands of sachet water sampled from the three communities had no microbial contamination. Conversely, most community tap water showed contamination with indicator organisms that exceeded the international standard of 0 per 100 mL for potable water. The presence of faecal coliforms and E. coli in community-shared tap water is an indication of poor water quality and may present a risk for waterborne disease outbreaks among households and communities.
KW - Escherichia coli
KW - faecal coliforms
KW - indicator organisms
KW - microbiological quality
KW - total coliforms
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85214977056&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2166/wcc.2024.668
DO - 10.2166/wcc.2024.668
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85214977056
SN - 2040-2244
VL - 15
SP - 6013
EP - 6021
JO - Journal of Water and Climate Change
JF - Journal of Water and Climate Change
IS - 12
ER -