GENERAL INTRODUCTION
Drinking water or potable water is water safe enough to be consumed by humans aroused with low risk of immediate or long term harm. Accessibility and availability of fresh clean water is key to sustainable development and an essential element in health food production and poverty reduction. However, safe drinking water remains inaccessible for about 1.1 billion people in the world and the hourly toll from biological contamination of drinking water is 400 deaths of children below age five. Lack of safe drinking water is considered a leading cause of many communicable diseases. Studies have estimated that the provision of clean water and basic sanitation alone would curtail the incidence of diarrhea by 50%, sleeping sickness by 80% and guinea worm infestation by 100% (Anwar, 1993).
The importance of potable water in the daily lives of average Nigerian is worth noting. The most reliable source of drinking water is bottled water which is of good bacteriological quality (ObiriDanso. et al.,2003) but it is expensive and thus only within the means of the affluent in the society.
As an alternative, small-scale industries have come up with sachet water popularly known as Pure Water. This product is 500ml of water in clear nylon square sachets which have been electrically heated and sealed at both ends and widely patronized by both low and middle income earners. The production of sachet water has increased tremendously with both registered producers and unregistered who operate illegally in Nigeria. According NAFDAC report 2006, majority of sachet water are produced under questionable hygienic environmental conditions and they have had cause to impose a ban on some producers.
Earlier investigations conducted and various studies carried out on sachet water from different cities have revealed the lack of purity of sachet drinking water in Nigeria (Oladipo et al., 2009; Afiukwa et al., 2010; Edema et al., 2011; Akpoborie, and Ehwarimo, 2012; Onilude et al., 2013). This is attributed to sharp practices, poor hygiene of vendors, polluted environment, and non-adherence to WHO/NAFDAC regulations (Omalu et al., 2010). It is therefore imperative that the quality of sachet water vended be continuously assessed for the protection of public health has shown that bottled water is of good microbiological quality while the quality of some factory bagged sachet and hand-filled/hand-tied polythene- bagged drinking water was noted to be doubtful . This observation was based on studies carried out on water samples to ascertain the presence of heterotrophic bacteria, indicators of faecal contamination (total coliforms, faecal coliforms and enterococci) and for lead, manganese and iron.
Rutz (1996) reported that sachet water vending machine may not be free of microorganisms, because bacteria like Straptococcus faecalis, have been isolated from sachet water producing machines.
The proliferation of such packed water therefore raise the question of whether they are well treated and handled vis-à-vis the poor sanitary environment in Nigeria. Absence of jobs in Nigeria have increased the number of street children in the urban areas who incidentally find economic refuge in the ice water trade because the starting capital is relatively low and affordable. Unfortunately it is this group that lacks the basic knowledge in hygiene practices. Most of the locally manufactured sachet water find their way into the market without any quality test on them, there is the need for critical examination before they get to the consumer.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The sale and consumption of packaged water continues to grow rapidly in Umuhia and other places in Nigeria. Drinking water, regardless of its source, is usually subjected to one or more of a variety of treatment processes intended to improve its safety and aesthetic quality. Several studies on the microbial quality of sachet water have reported violations of international quality standards (Oyedeji et al.,2009). According to the guideline set by the World Health Organization, quality drinking water must not contain Escherichia coli or thermotolerant coliform bacteria, giardia worms, viruses, Cryptosporidium spp, Legionella pneumophila, Entamoeba hystolitical and other opportunistic pathogens such as Clostridium sp., Klebsiella sp. and Pseudomonas (WHO, 2011). The guideline further stated that the water should be tested against the presence of highly virulent pathogens such as Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysenteriae and Vibrio cholerae that are responsible for typhoid, bacillary dysentery and cholera diseases respectively which arises due to high level of organic decay and fermentation on tropical waters. All these bacteria must not exist in water that are meant for drinking, hence, sources of water for packaged water are subjected to laboratory test by public analyst in which any of the bacteria must not be found or detected in any 100ml water sample.
Even if no sources of anthropogenic contamination exist, there is the potential for natural levels of minerals and other chemicals to be harmful to human health (Anawara et al., 2002). Chemical parameters of drinking water have the propensity to pose more of a chronic health risk, even though some components like nitrates and nitrites may have an acute impact. Examples of chronic health effects include cancer, liver and kidney damage, disorders of the nervous system, damage to the immune system, and birth defects (Zaslow and Glenda, 1996).
Physical parameters affect the aesthetic value of the drinking water and might complicate the removal of microbial pathogens. The present study aimed to determine Bacteriology Study Of Selected Sachet Water In Umuahia.
