Bacteriological Assessment of the Public Hand-Pump Borehole Water in Onueke, Ezza South Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Bacteriological assessment of public hand-pump borehole water in Onueke, Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria was carried out during the dry and wet seasons to determine their potability. Total bacterial, total coliform, faecal coliform, Vibrio cholerae, Enterococcus faecalis and Clostridium perfringens counts were carried out using the membrane filtration technique. The total bacterial counts during the dry season were 107 – 261 cfu/100ml; total coliforms, 0-11 cfu/100ml and Vibrio cholerae, 0-5 cfu/100ml. However, the total bacterial counts during the wet season were 119 – 275cfu/100ml; total coliforms, 0-23 cfu/100ml and Vibrio cholerae, 0-6 cfu/100ml while faecal coliforms, Enterococcus faecalis and Clostridium perfringens were not detected in any of the samples during both seasons. The bacterial isolates were identified as Aeromonas hydrophila, Serratia liquefaciens, Micrococcus luteus, Klebsiella oxytoca, Serratia marcescens, Proteus vulgaris, Vibrio cholerae, Citrobacter freundii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas fluorescens. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Vibrio cholerae had the highest and lowest frequency of isolation respectively than the other isolates during both seasons. All the isolates during both seasons were sensitive to Ciprofloxacin and Augmentin. There was significant correlation between the total coliforms during both seasons indicating that they were affected by seasonal variations. Generally, the water from the boreholes studied did not comply with the World Health Organization bacteriological standard for potable water and must be treated adequately before drinking in order not to endanger the health of the users