Assessing the state of drinking water from storage tanks in Federal University Dutse Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed the quality of water obtainable in six (6) storage tanks present in the male and female hostels on the Federal University Dutse campus. Physicochemical analyses; temperature, pH, turbidity, electrical conductivity, nitrate, and phosphate were conducted using standard methods. Presumptive, confirmed, and completed tests were employed to determine total and fecal coliforms from the water samples using the most probable number (MPN) technique. Generated results from the parameters were compared with the allowable standards of the Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality (NSDWQ) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Results obtained on the physicochemical status of the water indicate that all measured parameters conformed to NSDWQ and WHO permissible standards. The results obtained in this study also show the presence of bacteria in the water present in the storage tanks which may constitute a health risk amongst students drinking it. It is therefore recommended that the water pumped and stored in these storage tanks should be adequately treated.

Keywords: Coliforms; Fecal; storage tanks; quality; water.