STATUS OF DOMESTIC WATER QUALITY IN BWARI COMMUNITIES OF FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY NIGERIA

The quest for effective prevention and control of waterborne diseases necessitates the need for constant water quality monitoring and control. Water naturally contains many micro-organisms, of which pathogen micro-organisms are detrimental to health. The consumption of safe water is important in the control of many diseases, considering that about 80% of all diseases in the world are associated with unsafe water use. This research focused on assessing the quality of domestic water at selected sources in some communities of Bwari area council. Physical, chemical and microbiological analyses were carried out on water samples, physical parameters measured include, color, odor, temperature, turbidity and conductivity. The chemical analysis carried out on samples is arsenic, nitrate, nitrite, iron and manganese. Microbiological parameters measured are total and faecal coliform bacteria. Results showed that communities' members have access to both improved and unimproved sources, one community with an unimproved water source exhibited water quality values higher than recommended in manganese, arsenic and fecal coliform. The mean, standard deviation and relative standard deviation of the samples were calculated; results show that over 70% of the estimated parameters have relative standard deviation values less than 2 %, the implying that the sampling is representative, reproducible, useful and valid. It is recommended that follow up action on accessing safe water in the community with unacceptable values for drinking water parameter be put in place to safe guard the health of the people