Abstract:
In order to sustain a healthy life, it is crucial to work on water quality. The main objective of
this study was to assess the microbial quality of drinking water in urban households and its
implications for public health and SDGs in Guder town. Based on this objective, the data
were gathered experimentally and through household questionnaires and analyzed by
correlation, regression, and descriptive methods. About 71.4% of the respondents’ primary
source of drinking water is privately protected tap water, and 28.6% of them receive drinking
water from shared protected tap water. The clinical data indicated that most children in the
1-4 age groups suffered from diarrhea. The wet season DO of the sample was perfectly and
significantly correlated with the electrical conductivity, with r = 1 at p.01. Moreover, about
10 cfu/100 ml of Enterococci and 20–25 cfu/100 ml of E. coli were recorded in HHT. There
was a higher load of E. coli in the HHC (35–40 cfu/100 ml) than in HHT (20–25 cfu/100 ml)
and 25–30 cfu/100 ml. On the contrary, higher enterococci loads were found in raw water
(16-18cfu/100ml) and HHC (16-18cfu/100ml) than in HHT 10(16-18cfu/100ml).Of all of the
samples detected in the household that were wet HHT, of them 56(100%) were positive for
Ecoli; of all the samples detected in the household during wet season from HHC in Guder
town, all of them 56(100%) were positive for E. coli. These bacterial loads had low risk (B)
and intermediate risk (C).These amount of bacterial loads had an intermediate risk effect on
human health. Since the ‘C’ water grade quality is not recommended perfectly to consume
according to the WHO (2017) cfu/100ml policy, the town water sector has to treat their
water. According to Ethiopian standards there is no water quality class; however, it is not
recommended 0/100ml for E.coli; however, in our sample, 56(100%) were positive in HHC
during the wet season. Accordingly, Wet season turbidity was (5–6). The sulfate content of
the wet season was 0 mg/ml. The phosphate amount was between 1 and 2 in wet seasons. In
general, the result indicated "Too Numerous to Count" (TNTC), mainly due to the lack of
treatment efficiency of the system and the lack of operation of the chlorine disinfection
systems, which are operated manually and are ineffective in homogenously mixing.
