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Page No. : 123-126

ABSTRACT

A total of 58 samples of drinking water from different sources such as bottled mineral water, domestic water purifiers, hand pump and municipal water supplies were collected and subjected to physicochemical and microbiological analysis. Mean pH value was 7.05 for bottled mineral water and7.40 for each of domestic purifier water, hand pump water and municipal supply water. Mean free chlorine values of bottled mineral water, domestic purifier water and municipal supply water were 0.15, 0.00and 0.07 ppm, respectively. Mean value of hardness of bottled mineral water, domestic purifier water, hand pump water and municipal supplies water were 38.62, 426.00, 424.00 and 517.00 ppm, respectively. Standard plate count, yeast and mold count, faecal streptococci count, presumptive coliform count and E. coli count in drinking water samples were 0.0-2.5 x 105 per ml, 0.0-1.5 x 101 per ml, 0.0-2.6 x 102per 100 ml, 0.0-1.8 x 103 per 100 ml and 0.0-8.1 x 101 per 100 ml, respectively. Two samples of municipal water supplies showed the presence of gastrointestinal parasites namely Entamoeba hystolytica and Giardia lamblia. The numbers of samples sharing presence of E coli were ten. The E. coli showed 100%sensitivity against gentamicin, followed by 80%, 60%, 50%, 40%, 30% and 10% against kanamycin, norfloxacin, furazolidone, chloramphenicol, tetracycline and ampicillin, respectively. The E. coli isolates showed 100% resistance against penicillin G and 90% against amoxycillin. The present study showed hat all bottled mineral water samples were found within the permissible limits of physicochemical and microbiological parameters. However, some water samples from other sources showed higher counts than the permissible limits of physicochemical and microbiological parameters.

Keywords: Antibiotic sensitivity, bacterial isolates, microbiological parameters, physicochemical parameters, water.