ABSTRACT
Water is perhaps the most precious natural resource after air. Groundwater is made available for use by the construction of wells and boreholes. Though borehole water is believed to be comparatively much cleaner, human activities such as refuse dumping, erosion, agricultural activities can contaminate borehole water. The aim of this study was to carry out physiochemical and bacteriological analysis of borehole water from private hospitals in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. A total of twenty (20) samples was collected. The total heterotrophic and coliform bacteria count was done using the membrane filtration technique, identification of bacteria isolates was done using the standard cultural and biochemical method, antibiotics susceptibility test was carried out using the disc diffusion method. The range of some of the physiochemical parameters were, temperature (27.00oC-30.00oC), pH (4.10-6.50), suspended solid (0.00mg/l2.00mg/l), sulphate (0.00mg/l-2.00mg/l). The total heterotrophic and coliform bacteria count was recorded, the total heterotrophic count and coliform ranged from 1.20 ± 0.00 x 103 cfu/100ml– 3.00 ± 0.38 x 103 cfu/100ml and 0.60 ± 0.45 x 103 cfu/100ml – 1.60 ± 0.22 x 103 cfu/100ml respectively. The bacteria isolated from the samples include Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Citrobacter freundii with Klebsiella pneumoniae and Citrobacter freundii being the highest with both having a percentage of 11 (55.00%) . This study revealed that streptomycin is the most effective antibiotics for the Gram positive isolates. Four (4) out of eleven (11) Isolates of K. pneumoniae lysed blood, Citrobacter freundii had the least percentage of haemolysin production (18.18%). This study revealed that borehole water used in hospitals can be contaminated by micro-organism and thus poses a health threat frequent bacteriological and physiochemichal analysis is essential in maintaining regulating the rate of contamination of water source. Also, water treatment should be practised, as this also is effective in reducing contamination rate of borehole water
