Evaluation of Microbial Quality of Hatirjheel in Dhaka City

Evaluation of Microbial Quality of Hatirjheel in Dhaka City Md. Badsha Miah1‡, Dr. Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder1, Professor Dr. Gulshan Ara Latifa1 1Department of Environmental Science, Stamford University Bangladesh Dhaka, Bangladesh Abstract Microbiological health risks are major concerning issue in all over the world. Almost all the major water bodies (lake/khal) particularly in the urban or semi-urban area have been suffering severely pollutions. Therefore if we manage to safe our surface water in and around the city, we can reduce the demand of ground water for the city dwellers by the proper use or these lakes and ponds. This study was conducted to evaluate the microbial quality of Hatirjheel in Dhaka City. The selected water samples were examined for the concentration of total viable bacteria, salmonella, shigella,E.coli, klebsiella, total fungi, Vibrio cholerae species, identify zooplankton and analyze some physiocochemical parameters in Hatirjheel, Dhaka city. The microbial analysis was performed to trace the presence of organisms and pathogens such as E.coli, salmonella, shigella, klebsiella and Vibrio spp. etc. According to observation total viable bacteria (2.0×106cfu/100ml), fungi (3.4×102cfu/100ml), klebsiella (3.0×102cfu/100ml), salmonella (2.0×102cfu/100ml), Pseudomonas (8.3×102cfu/100ml), Vibrio cholera (6.0×102cfu/100ml.) was isolated. The findings of the study and the presented data is preferred that the water is not safe for human health and also indicate that this water is vulnerable for diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid fever, shigellosis, salmonellosis, parasitic worm infection, hemolytic uremina syndrome, hepatitis and gastroenteritis. The microbial quality of the water was poor, suggesting contamination of the lake water by domestic and industrial wastes and other anthropogenic activities. So it is important to control the pollution for proper use of this water in various purposes. Keywords: water quality, microorganisms, pollution, lake, health impact Introduction Water is the most important components amongst the natural resources and fundamental for the continued existence of all living organisms. The environment, economic growth and development of Bangladesh are all highly influenced by water - its regional and seasonal availability and the quality of surface and groundwater. The inexorable rise in demand for water to grow food, supply industries and sustain urban and rural populations has led to a growing scarcity of freshwater in many parts of the world. The world is experiencing a steady decline in water quality and its availability. About 75 percent of the world’s rural and 20 percent of its urban population has no ready water access to uncontaminated water (1). For many regions, water supplies are contaminated with toxic chemicals and pathogenic microorganisms. In terms of quality, the surface water of the country is unprotected from untreated industrial effluents and municipal wastewater (2, 3, 4). Lakes and ponds are a vital part of a modern healthy city. Over the past few decades, as Dhaka started to grow into a mega-city, we began to realize how important it is to have parks, natural wetland, lakes, and open spaces. The surface water area of Dhaka city is about 10-15% of the total land area. Hatirjheel, Gulshan Lake, Banani Lake, Ramna Lake and Dhanmondi Lake are the popular relaxation spot in the city, is being polluted by Slums and Sewages, the business firms and industries operating in the area, locals and environmentalists alleged. But unfortunately, the groundwater level in many areas of Dhaka city is drastically receding from about 0.3m per year at Banani to about 1m per year at Motijheel (5). Therefore if we manage to safe our surface water in and around the city, we can reduce the demand of ground water for the city dwellers by the proper use or these lakes and ponds. Haitrjheel is a prominent depression within Dhaka metropolitan area. The lake is about 302 acres of Tejgaon, Moghmazar, Rampura region and has been playing a vital role in maintaining the only drainage system of those areas. The open stage for cultural programmes and a number of beautiful bridges and roads attract a large number of visitors every day. The situation is getting worse clue to the lack of adequate entertainment spots in the capital. Tile Lake and its adjacent area become crowded during the weekends. Residents of the area also alleged that liquid wastes from sewages are dumped into the lake. Garbage and human faeces have made the water of the lake greenish. A research work showed that pH varied from 6.7 to 7.1, Color varied from 25 to 50 pt-Co units, Turbidity varied from o to 13 NTU, Carbon dioxide (CO2) varied from 35 to 60 mg/l, Alkalinity varied from 90 to 345 mg/l, Hardness varied from 150 to 300 mg/l, Chloride varied from 0.5 to 1.0 mg/l, BOD varied from 0.0 to 10 mg/l, COD varied from 28 to 60 mg/l at Hatirjheel Water (6). The quality of water is of vital concern for mankind, since it is directly linked with human well-being. At present, the menace of water borne diseases and epidemics still loom large on the horizons of developing countries (7). The increasing urbanization and industrialization of Bangladesh have negative implications for surface water quality. The pollution from industrial and urban waste effluents and from agrochemicals in some water bodies and rivers has reached alarming levels (8, 9, 10). In Bangladesh, about 80% of all diseases are associated with water-borne microbes. About 300,000 children under five, die of diarrheal diseases every year, out of which one-third of the death occurs in the city slums and squatter settlements (11). The Physicochemical features and bacterial flora of Dhanmondi Lake were investigated earlier (12, 13, 14). Microbial safety of recreational water is one of the major human public health issues in developing countries. Water contamination occurs through contamination of streams, lakes, underground water, bays, or oceans by substances harmful to living things. If severe, water pollution can kill large numbers of fish, birds and other animals in some cases killing all members of a species in an affected area. Pollutions make streams, lakes, and coastal waters unpleasant to look at, to smell, and to swim in. People who ingest polluted water can become ill, and with prolonged exposure, may develop cancers or bear children with birth defect. Aquatic microorganisms and their activities are of great importance in many ways. They may affect the health of humans and other animals. These organisms occupy a key position in the food chain by providing rich nourishment for the next higher level of aquatic life and may affect health of humans and other animals (15, 16, 17, 18). Water quality is a broad concept. Its maintenance means that natural waters should not be overloaded with organic or inorganic nutrients or with toxic, noxious, or esthetically unacceptable substances. They should not become vehicles of disease transmission from fecal contamination nor should their oxygenation, temperature, salinity, turbidity, or pH be altered significantly (19). Materials and Methods 2.1 Isolation and enumeration of Total Viable Bacteria: Medium: Nutrient agar (NA) medium (5.0 gm peptone, 1.50 gm beef extract, 1.50 gm Yeast extract, 5.0 gm sodium chloride, 15.0 gm agar, distilled water 1.0 liter, pH (at 25°C) 7.4 ± 0.2) was used for isolation. Medium was sterilized at 15 lbs pressure (121°C) for 15 minutes and dispersed into sterile Petri plates. Plating and incubation: Serial dilution of water samples were made in sterile distilled water 0.1 ml 103& 105 dilutions of test samples were dispensed in to the Petri plates with sterile nutrient agar medium. Plates were incubated at 37°C for 24 hours. Enumeration was developed on colony counter. 2.2 Total Fungi isolation and enumeration: Medium: Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA) medium (10.0 gm mycological peptone 40.0 gm dextrose, 15.0 gm agar, distilled water 1.0 liter, pH (at 25°C)5.6 +/- 0.20) was used for isolation. Medium was sterilized by autoclaving at 15 lbs pressure (121°C) for 15 minutes and dispensed in to sterile Petri plates. Plating and incubation: Serial dilutions of water samples were made in sterile distilled water. 0.1 ml of 102 dilutions of test samples were dispensed in to Petri plate with solidified medium and spreading of sample on the medium was done by using sterile glass spreader to ensure uniform distribution. Plate was incubated at 25°C for 24 hours. Enumeration of developed colonies was carried out on colony counter. 2.3 Isolation and enumeration of E. coli and Klebsiella spp.: Medium: MacConkey agar medium (Peptones (meat and casein) 3.0 gm, Pancreatic digest of gelatin 17.0 gm, Lactose monohydrate 10.0 gm, Bile salts 1.5 gm, Sodium chloride 5.0 gm, Crystal violet 0.001 gm, Neutral red 0.03 gm, Agar 13.5 gm, distilled water 1.0 liter, pH (at 25°C) 7.1 ± 0.2) was used for isolation. Medium was sterilized at 15 lbs pressure (121°C) for 15 minutes and dispersed into sterile Petri plates. Plating and incubation: Serial dilution of water samples were made in sterile distilled water 0.1 ml 102 dilutions of test samples were dispensed in to the Petri plates with sterile MacConkey agar medium. Plates were incubated at 37°C for 24 hours. Enumeration was developed on colony counter. 2.4 Isolation and enumeration of Pseudomonas spp.: Medium: Cetrimide agar medium (Pancreatic digest of gelatin 20.0 gm, Magnesium chloride 1.4 gm, Potassium sulphate 10.0 gm, Cetrimide 0.3 gm, Agar 15.0 gm, distilled water 1.0 liter, pH(at 25°C) 7.2 ± 0.2) was used for isolation. Medium was sterilized at 15 lbs pressure (121°C) for 15 minutes and dispersed into sterile Petri plates. Plating and incubation: Serial dilution of water samples were made in sterile distilled water 0.1 ml 102 dilutions of test samples were dispensed in to the Petri plates with sterile MacConkey agar medium. Plates were incubated at 37°C for 24 hours. Enumeration was developed on colony counter. 2.5 Isolation and enumeration of Salmonella and Shigella spp.: Medium: SS Agar (Salmonella Shigella Agar) medium (Beef extract 5.0 gm, Peptic digest of animal tissue 5.0 gm, Lactose 10.0 gm, Bile salts mixture 8.5 gm, Sodium citrate 10.0 gm, Sodium thiosulphate 8.5 gm, Ferric citrate 1.0 gm, Brilliant green 0.00033 gm, Neutral red 0.025 gm, Agar 15.0gm, distilled water 1.0 liter, pH (at 25°C) 7.0 ± 0.2) was used for isolation. Medium was boiled for completely dissolved and dispersed into sterile Petri plates. Plating and incubation: Serial dilution of water samples were made in sterile distilled water 0.1 ml 102 dilutions of test samples were dispensed in to the Petri plates with sterile SS agar medium. Plates were incubated at 37°C for 24 hours. Enumeration was developed on colony counter. 2.6 Isolation and enumeration of Vibrio spp.: Medium: TCBS (Thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose) Agar medium (Proteose peptone 10.0 gm, Yeast extract 5.0 gm, Sodium thiosulphate 10.0 gm, Sodium citrate 10.0 gm, Oxgall 8.0 gm, Sucrose 20.0 gm, Sodium chloride 10.0 gm, Ferric citrate 1.0 gm, Bromo thymol blue 0.04 gm, Thymol blue 0.04 gm, Agar 15.0 gm, distilled water 1.0 liter, pH(at 25°C)8.6 ± 0.2) was used for isolation. Medium was boiled for completely dissolved and dispersed into sterile Petri plates. Plating and incubation: Serial dilution of water samples were made in sterile distilled water 0.1 ml 102 dilutions of test samples were dispensed in to the Petri plates with sterile SS agar medium. Plates were incubated at 37°C for 24 hours. Enumeration was developed on colony counter. Results and Discussion Microbial quality of water is usually expressed in terms of the concentration and frequency of occurrence of particular species of bacteria. According to Ajibade et al., (2008) polluted water may contain pathogenic bacteria, viruses, protozoa or helminthes eggs. Some of the bacteria that indicate the presence of other kinds of pathogens are called indicator bacteria. They are usually present in the colon and excreted in large number by warm blooded animals. (Seawa water shed report 2009). The outcome of microbial analysis performed on samples collected from different locations of Hatirjheel of Dhaka, Bangladesh appears in table 1. Maximum total viable bacterial load (2.0×106 cfu/100 ml) found in sample 2 and minimum (2.8×105 cfu/100 ml) found in sample 5. Total fungi count on SDA agar ranged between 0 to 3.4×102 cfu/100 ml. The number E.coli is found 0 on MacConkey agar in all samples. The lowest number of Klebsiella (1.6×102 cfu/100 ml) on MacConkey agar medium was recorded in the sample 5 while the highest number (3.0×102 cfu/100 ml) was in the sample 3. The highest number of Pseudomonas spp. on Cetrimide agar medium was (8.3×102 cfu/100 ml) and the lowest number is 0. No Shigella spp. was found in samples and the Salmonella spp. count on SS agar ranged between 0 to 2.0×102 cfu/100 ml. The Vibrio spp. count on TCBS agar ranged between 0 to 6.0×102 cfu/100 ml. According to WHO Standards, E.coli or thermotolerant coliform bacteria must not be detectable in any 100 ml of sample. Table 1: Bacterial count (cfu) of water samples of Hatirjheel: Sample TVB on NA Total Fungi on SDA E.coli on MacConkey Klebsiella spp. on MacConkey Pseudomonas spp. on Cetrimide Salmonella spp. on SS Agar Shigella spp. on SS Agar Vibrio spp. on TCBS S-1 4.6×105 0 0 0 5.8×102 0 0 0 S-2 2.0×106 3.4×102 0 2.0×102 0 2.0×102 0 0 S-3 6.5×105 3.0×102 0 3.0×102 1.0×102 0 0 0 S-4 3.4×105 0 0 2.6×102 0 0 0 6.0×102 S-5 2.8×105 1.6×102 0 1.6×102 8.3×102 0 0 0 These studies clearly reveal that the river water is loaded with bacterial species. It indicates that many species are potentially pathogenic and are able to cause a spectrum of infections in susceptible populations. Water intended for drinking and household purposes must not contain any water borne pathogens. The pathogenic groups includes bacteria, viruses and protozoa, which causes diseases that vary in severity from mild gastroenteritis to sever fatal-diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis, typhoid fever etc,. Apart from routine microbiological examination for evidence of fecal contamination, other pathogenic microorganisms must be tested. Absence of indicator microorganism in water body does not actually indicate that absence of infection potential. The detection of pathogens i.e., salmonella spp. klebsiella spp. and other pathogens from natural waters is still to be established due to their low concentration. (APHA 1995) Presence of different bacterial species in Hatirjheel samples were tested by using different media. The isolates which were obtained from the Hatirjheel water samples show significant results. The isolated bacterial species were identified to be the same with those commonly encountered in water, which were also reported by Ajibade et al., (2008). A study was conducted to evaluate the microbial quality of Hatirjheel at Dhaka. The total viable bacterial count was done to determine bacterial load in water samples. According to table 1, sample 2 was contained the highest amount that is 2.0×106 and all of the samples were contained bacterial load on Nutrient Agar. The number of total fungi on SDA agar count that the highest number is 3.4×102 in sample 2 and no fungi were found in two samples. The number of E.coli and Klebsiella were determined on MacConkey agar, indicates the counts of E.coli and klebsiella in cfu/ml. according the data table no E.coli was found and highest klebsiella was record in sample 3 (3.0×102) and absence in sample 1. The number of salmonella and shigella were determined on SS agar, indicates the number of salmonella and shigella in cfu/ml. Among the five samples, salmonella was found in sample 2 and both of salmonella and shigella was absence in all other samples. The Vibrio spp. count on TCBS agar indicates that Vibrio spp. was found in only sample 4 and absence in other samples. Surface waters are vital and vulnerable fresh water systems that are critical for the sustenance of all life. Social, economic and political development has been largely related to the availability and distribution of freshwaters contained in surface water systems. Surface water systems can be considered as arteries of the land supplying life giving water to an abundance of organisms whilst at the same time supporting modern civilizations (King et al., 2003). Microbiological quality of drinking water is usually expressed in terms of the concentration and frequency of occurrence of particular species of bacteria (Grabow et al., 1996). Most water borne disease causing organisms originate in human or animal bodies and are discharged as part of body waste. Due to the relatively small number of disease causing pathogenic organism, it is very difficult to isolate and identify specific disease causing bacteria. Microbial study revealed that the microbial quality of different location of Hatirjheel is diverse. The microbial analysis was performed to trace the presence of organisms and pathogens such as E.coli, salmonella, shigella, klebsiella and Vibrio spp. Though some organisms were absence in samples but the amount of presence of different organisms in water is not safe for drinking purposes. The presences of organisms indicate that this water is vulnerable for diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid fever, shigellosis, salmonellosis, parasitic worm infection, hemolytic uremina syndrome, hepatitis and gastroenteritis. The present condition of Hatirjheel is very recently changed from its previous condition. But the recent studies showed that the water quality of Hatirjheel is not safe for human health. The purpose of the Hatirjheel project will not fully gained until the water pollution from different sources is controlled. 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