ASSESSMENT OF THE MICROBIAL QUALITY OF RIVER WATER SOURCES IN RURAL VENDA COMMUNITIES IN SOUTH AFRICA

The microbiological quality of several untreated surface watercourses, used by rural communities in the Venda region of South Africa was assessed to determine its safety for human consumption and to highlight the possible occurence of water borne diseases. The water sources studied were six sampling points on the Levubu River, Vuwani, Mutale, Ngwedi, Tshinane, Makonde, Mutshindudi, and Mudaswali rivers. Heterotrophic plate counts, faecal and total coliforms, enterococci and somatic coliphage counts were performed according to standard methods to determine the microbiological quality of the water sources. The presence of enteric pathogens such as Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Plesiomonas, Aeromonas and Vibrio was also determined. These untreated water sources are used for drinking and domestic purposes and pose a serious threat to the health of the consumers and therefore calls for urgent intervention by government.