Potability of borehole, bottled and municipal water in Harare
Human health depends on reliable access to safe drinking water, but in many developing countries there are problems of accessing it. This is mainly attributed to water pollution, poor infrastructure for potable water treatment and unhygienic practices in water bottling companies. This study was c...
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| Language: | English |
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Midlands State University
2014
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/11408/375 |
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| Summary: | Human health depends on reliable access to safe drinking water, but in many developing
countries there are problems of accessing it. This is mainly attributed to water pollution, poor
infrastructure for potable water treatment and unhygienic practices in water bottling
companies. This study was carried out to assess the physico-chemical and microbiological
quality of borehole, bottled and municipal water in Harare (Zimbabwe), by evaluating the
compliance of each water type with WHO standards. The study period was from February
2012 to May 2012. Water samples were collected from five boreholes in different high
density suburbs, five different brands of bottled water and municipal water. A total of 180
samples were collected and each was analysed for 17 parameters. Standard Operation
Procedures (SOPs) at EMA laboratory were followed for analysis of these parameters. All the
bottled water brands and municipal water tested negative for all faecal coliforms. All
chemical parameters in bottled and municipal water complied with WHO standards.
Heterotrophic bacteria were within WHO standards (100 colonies/ 100 ml) in municipal
water and in all bottled water brands except for brands B and C. The occurrence of
heterotrophic bacteria in some bottled water brands exposes consumers to gastrointestinal
diseases. All microbiological parameters complied with WHO standards in boreholes A and
B. However pH, manganese and nitrates did not comply with WHO standards in boreholes A
and B. Faecal coliforms were detected in boreholes D and E. The concentration of heavy
metals in boreholes C, D and E did not comply with WHO standards. High concentration of
heavy metals predisposes consumers to health problems such as bioaccumulation of heavy
metals. Borehole E had the highest TDS (1180.83 mg l-1) which did not comply with WHO
standards. Overall, each borehole in Harare failed to comply with WHO standards for most
parameters. The results suggest that the safest water to drink in Harare is municipal water
because it showed consistent compliance with WHO standards in all tested parameters. For
bottled water not all brands are safe (3 out of 5 complied). Brand E (carbonated water)
proved to be the safest among other brands as no bacteria were detected. |
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