Evaluation of Drinking Water Quality and Bacterial Antibiotic Sensitivity in Wells and Standpipes at Household Water Points in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

From PubMed via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2022-02-25, revised 2022-04-26, accepted 2022-04-27Publication status: epublishWater quality surveillance can help to reduce waterborne diseases. Despite better access to safe drinking water in Sierra Leone, about a third of the population (3 million people) drink water from unimproved sources. In this cross-sectional study, we collected water samples from 15 standpipes and 5 wells and measured the physicochemical and bacteriological water quality, and the antimicrobial sensitivity of ( ) in two communities in Freetown, Sierra Leone in the dry and wet seasons in 2021. All water sources were contaminated with , and all five wells and 25% of standpipes had at least an intermediate risk level of . There was no antimicrobial resistance detected in the tested. The nitrate level exceeded the WHO's recommended standard (>10 parts per million) in 60% of the wells and in less than 20% of the standpipes. The proportion of samples from standpipes with high levels of total dissolved solids (>10 Nephelometric Turbidity Units) was much higher in the rainy season (73% vs. 7%). The level of water contamination is concerning. We suggest options to reduce contamination. Further research is required to identify where contamination of the water in standpipes is occurring