Assessment of the Bacterial and Physico-chemical Quality of Reservoir Water in Ohodo Metropolis

Abstract: The safety of drinking water sources is a critical public health issue. This study assessed the bacteriological quality of water samples collected from eight selected reservoirs in Ohodo metropolis over a three-month period. Samples were analyzed for physico-chemical parameters (temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity) on-site and for microbial content in the laboratory. The membrane filtration technique was employed for bacterial isolation and the dilution method for total counts. Results showed that while physico-chemical properties of the water samples met WHO standards, microbial analysis indicated poor quality. Total bacterial counts were high, ranging from 1.0 x 10² to 1.1 x 10⁵ cfu/ml, with total coliform counts up to 11.03 cfu/100ml. Critically, several pathogenic bacteria were identified: Escherichia coli, Shigella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter spp., and Klebsiella pneumoniae. These findings confirm significant fecal contamination, rendering the water a direct threat to public health and increasing consumer risk for illnesses like diarrhea, typhoid fever, and cholera. Keywords: Bacterial, Physico-chemical, Reservoir Water and Quality of water.