*Department of Water Resources Management and Sanitation, Ogun State College of Health Technology, Ilese-Ijebu, Nigeria
**Department of Pharmaceutical Techniques, Ogun State College of Health Technology, Ilese-Ijebu, Nigeria
Online published on 21 November, 2013.
The study was carried out to comparatively assess the ‘risk-to-health’ conditions of drinking water sources (boreholes and Public stand points) in Ijebu-Ode City, Ogun State Southwestern Nigeria. A total number of twenty (20) boreholes and twenty (20) stand points were selected from government residential area on one side of the city with the residents of high socio-economic status and the other side of the city with residents of low socio-economic status. The ‘risk-to-health’ conditions of the considered drinking water sources were assessed by combining the risk scores from the sanitary surveying with the number of e-coli counts from microbiological analysis. Then, Karl Pearson of correlation was used to determine the degree association between the risk scores and the E-coli counts confirmed. Out of the twenty (20) boreholes and twenty (20) water stand points; four (4) boreholes pose very high risks, four (4) pose high risks, six (6) pose low and no risk from six (6) boreholes while from the public pipe water stand posts, ten (10) pose very high risks, one (1) pose high risks and nine (9) water stand posts pose low risks. The coefficient of positive correlation 0.676 indicated that the risk scores from the borehole drinking water sources resulted to the E-coli contamination and 0.806 positive high correlation between water stand posts and E-coli counts indicating that both water sources constitute ‘risk-to- health’ to the consumers of the water. However, the values showed that the public water stand points and water they supply constitute more risk –to –health than the boreholes and borehole water. There is need to embark on routine monitoring of water qualities from the drinking water sources, rehabilitation of the failed the sources, Then, there is need for compliance and enforcement of drinking water supply regulations and finally there is need for proper waste management and environmental sanitation around these drinking water sources.
E-coli, borehole, Correlation, Microbiology, Water Sources, Risk-to-health, Stand point
