Bacteriological safety of plastic–bagged sachet drinking water sold in Amassoma, Nigeria

ObjectiveTo evaluate the bacteriological safety of sachet water sold in Amassoma, a rural community in Bayelsa State, Nigeria.MethodsSix samples of each of the different sachet drinking water brands were bought at random from shop shelves, markets and street vendors and were studies for microbial indicators of safety and quality. Bacterial counts were analyzed by one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and significance of differences was tested at 5% probability.ResultsMinimum and maximum counts with regard to the sachet water samples investigated were (4.3±1.1)×106 CFU mL−1 and (8.2±1.0) ×106 CFU mL−1 for heterotrophic plate counts; (0.9± 0.3) ×106 CFU mL−1 and (1.2± 0.4) ×106 CFU mL−1 for aerobic spore-former counts; (1.3±0.5) ×103 CFU mL−1 and (2.5± 0.8)×103 CFU mL−1 for total coliforms; (1.6±0.9) ×103 CFU mL−1 and (9.5±11.2)×103 CFU mL−1 for thermotolerant coliforms. Klebsiella spp but not Escherichia coli was present in all samples of the brands; non-coliform bacteria detected in some samples were Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas and Bacillus species.ConclusionsThe brands of sachet water sold (at the time of this study) in Amassoma did not meet the minimum acceptable standard for microbiologically safe drinking water as recommended by the World Health Organization.