Bacteriological Analysis of Drinking Water and Indoor Air Quality of a Local Drinking Water Plant in Lahore, Pakistan

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Bacteriological Analysis of Drinking Water and Indoor Air Quality of a Local Drinking Water Plant in Lahore, Pakistan

Nimra Asad, Maryam Khan, Arsalan Fazal, Abas Mohamud Ahmed, Sharoon Riaz, Fiaz Ahmed, Aneeqa Asif, Mehwish Ghulam Murtaza, Nasim Bashir, Usman Minhas, Zain ul Abdeen, Saira Tabassum, Muhammad Yasin, Osama Wajid, Arif Malik, Saba Shamim
Int. J. Biosci.18( 2), 202-213, February 2021.
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Abstract

Water and air are the two basic and vital necessities of life. In this study, the bacteriological analysis of drinking water, as well as the indoor air quality was performed before and after fumigation in order to determine the bacterial load in both sources of a local drinking water plant. Drinking water samples were collected from four different sampling points within the plant, whereas air samples were collected from five entry points of the plant via settling plate method. The samples were proceeded and the bacterial load was enumerated after successful incubation. The bacterial colonies were characterized and identified using morphological and biochemical parameters. The 16s rRNA ribotyping revealed the bacterial species to be Bacillus amyloliquefaciens MW418070, Staphylococcus epidermidis MW418073, Staphylococcus haemolyticus MW418074, Acinetobacter johnsonii MW418076, Bacillus badius MW418077, Bacillus salmalaya MW418091, Bacillus subtilis MW418092, Bacillus cereus MW418093, Exiguobacterium mexicanum MW418094 respectively. Fumigation was performed using potassium permanganate solution, which resulted in the remarkable decrease in bacterial load in both air and water samples. The physicochemical analysis of drinking water revealed the pH level, as well as the concentration of heavy metals to be within the permissible limit as per WHO standards, while the level of total dissolved solid (TDS) reduced after RO treatment of the water, indicating its effectivity. The bacterial contamination in water is suggested to be related to the indoor air quality of the water plant, which can be mitigated by the regulation of effective hygienic regimens and the ensuring of good handling and also by practicing regular disinfection methods, such as fumigation, in routine.

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