Effectiveness of Indigenous Household Water Treatment on the Bacteriological Quality of Drinking Water in Illah Community, Oshimili North LGA, Delta State, Nigeria

A combination of dried fruits of Xylopia aethiopica and Tetrapleura tetraptera are used for indigenous household water treatment in Illah Community without information on its effectiveness in water purification. This study therefore, assessed the effectiveness of treatment method on the bacteriological quality of drinking water in Illah community. Raw water samples were collected from commonly used borehole and stream sources in the community using separate sterile containers. Total Coliform (TC) and E. coli Counts (EC) were determined using standard methods by American Public Health Association (APHA) (1998). Treated samples were also collected using sterile containers for analyses. Results obtained for TC and EC were compared with the WHO guideline limits of 10.0 and 0 Most Probable Number (MPN)/100mL. The WHO performance target of =4 (highly protective) and =2 (protective) bacteria log removal was used to assess potential effectiveness of the treatment. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and t-test at p=0.05. The TC and EC of water from borehole (129.4±7.8; 23.8±5.2 MPN/100mL) and stream (280.0±95.3; 133.3±37.5 MPN/100mL) sources exceeded the guideline limits. After treatment, TC and EC counts from borehole sources were 67.0±11.0 and 11.3±9.9 MPN/100mL showing a significant difference when compared with baseline. The TC and EC from treated stream were 203.0±54.9 and 83.3±24.7 MPN/100mL respectively. The log removal of TC and EC were 0.3 and 0.2 for borehole and stream sources respectively. The indigenous household water treatment method was non-protective. There is a need to upgrade the indigenous method through inclusion of simple and affordable methods