Abstract

Borehole and sachet (“pure water”) water are the major sources of drinking water in Calabar. Such waters are required to comply with minimum standards in order to protect public health and accepted as safe drinking water. In this paper, a study was conducted to investigate the presence and effects of fungi in sachet and borehole drinking water in Calabar using 4 sachet water samples and 10 borehole samples. Sachet water aged 2 h and 2 weeks since manufactured   and each borehole sample (collected in the dry and wet seasons) was subjected to membrane filtration technique and plating method to determine the fungal content of the water. Only one sample, Usua water (sachet water) tested negative for the presence of fungi at CFU (colony forming unit) /100 ml. Laura water (sachet water), Abua water, Edgerly water and Mayne-Avenue water (borehole water) were the most infected. Percentage of fungi in borehole water was higher in the rainy than in the dry season. Aspergillus (29.4%), Rhizopus (21.6%), Fusarium (15.7%) and Penicillium (13.7%) were the most frequently isolated. These fungi have the potential to cause allergic reactions or diseases in humans.

Key words: Borehole water, fungi, membrane filtration, plating method, sachet water.