Comparison of Microbiological Quality of Well Water and Contaminated River Water in Open Defecation Area

Abstract

Introduction : At the end of 2019, Mulyoharjo village in Pemalang regency, Indonesia, had not reached an Open Defecation Free (ODF) status and diarrhea was frequent in the area. Some houses located by the river have no septic tank and dispose of the stool to the river. The local river water was contaminated, however, the quality of well water was not fully understood. Therefore, the quality of both water sources is required to be understood for the local community safety. Objectives : This study aims to determine and compare the microbiological quality ( Escherichia coli ) of well water and river water contaminated with stool in Mulyoharjo Village, Pemalang regency. Method : Seven houses were located next to the river (<20 m) and had dug well (depth 8-10 m). Four of seven houses had a septic tank while three houses had not. Both water sources from each house were collected using a weighted water sample bottle. E.coli presence was determined using the compact dry EC plates. Results: The result showed the river water had higher contamination (>1800 CFU/100ml) than well water (0-1125 CFU/100ml) (p=0.000, 95%). A difference was also found between the number of E.coli colonies in well water between houses with septic tanks and those without septic tanks (p=0.001). Conclusion : The contaminated river has a higher number of E.coli than well water. However, the houses with septic tanks tend to have well water with high E.coli compared to those who have no septic tank. It is assumed that the presence of septic tanks around the wells was too closed and caused contamination. Real-Time Reaction Quantification of Salmonella spp., coli, and Staphylococcus aureus in Different Food Matrices Advantages and Disadvantages.