Assessment of bacterial contamination of groundwater : a case of Chunga dumpsite of Lusaka, Zambia.
Date
2024
Authors
Mwansa, Chilambwe
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The University of Zambia
Abstract
The community near dumpsites/landfills depend on groundwater from shallow wells and boreholes for drinking. However, leachates from dumpsites/landfills could be a source of microbial and toxic chemical contamination to the nearby soil and groundwater. Contamination of groundwater will in turn affect the nearby community by causing diseases. Solid wastes come from various sources including; domestic residences, offices, institutions, commercial buildings, restaurants, agriculture, construction, and hospitals. This study assessed whether the bacterial contaminations from the Chunga Dumpsite solid wastes, were able to infiltrate the soil and contaminate the nearby groundwater. Nine (9) soil samples were collected from the Chunga dumpsite, and nine (9) water samples from boreholes near the Chunga Dumpsite. Physical, chemical and microbiological parameters of the collected samples were analyzed. It was found that most of the parameters conformed to WHO and ZABS standards except for nitrate levels of most of the water samples which exceeded the WHO and ZABS standards. Enumeration of bacteria in the water samples was done, to determine the quality of borehole water. Bacteria were isolated from the soil and water samples using culture methods for identification, then the isolated bacteria were confirmed using PCR methods (16S rRNA gene sequencing). The following bacteria were isolated from borehole water; Citrobacter freundi, Kluyvera georgiana, Acinetobacter indicus, Escherishia coli, Proteus hauseri, Pseudomonas sp, Aeromonas caviae, Klebsiella pneumonia and Atlantibacter hermannii, while the following bacteria were isolated from the soil; Bacillus sp, Klebsiella pneumoniae,
Bacillus cereus, Morganella morganii, Acinetobacter variabilis, Pectobacterium carotovorum and Bacillus thuringiensis. On the other hand, Klebsiella pneumonia and Acinetobacter sp. were isolated from both the borehole water and dumpsite soil samples. Consequenty, the Drug Susceptibility Test was done on the isolated bacteria to determine which antibiotic the bacteria were susceptible to. The findings indicated that the isolated bacteria were all susceptible to Gentamicin, Chloramphenicol and Ciprofloxacin and resistant to Penicillin and Cefoxitin Therefore, from the findings, it was concluded that the borehole water near the Chunga dumpsite is not safe to drink and that there is need for authorities to improve the waste disposal and management system ., as well as constant monitoring of the groundwater quality, which will help authority to institute appropriate action to control the groundwater contamination, and eventually prevent unnecessary disease outbreaks in the surrounding communities.
Description
Thesis of Master of Science in Applied Microbiology.