Abstract

Globally, water-borne diseases have continued to challenge the health conditions of both developed and developing countries. In Uganda, most water-borne diseases are known to be the leading causes of serious health burden among the inhabitants. The study objectives were to characterize microscopic isolates using biochemical tests as well as identify the possible sources of contamination of spring water which is the commonest source of water used by rural inhabitants for domestic activities in Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality, Bushenyi district, Western Uganda. Samples of spring water were collected from all accessible spring water sources in Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality, Western Uganda. A total of 48 spring water samples were collected using 500 ml sterile glass bottles. The sources of contamination of the spring water samples were determined using a Sanitary Inspection Checklist which was designed using some standard response factors from a collection of standard reference checklists for drinking water quality assessment. Distribution of isolates and indicator pathogens of fecal contamination recovered from positive samples shows 77.8% from Nyakabirizi, 75% from Ishaka and 52.63% from Central divisions. Among the isolates, Pseudomonas spp and Shigella spp appeared more frequent with overall percentage of (52.63%) and (45.83%) whereas, Klebsiella, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were found in (31.25%), (12.5%) and (6.25%) respectively. Sanitary inspections showed that springs in Ishaka Division posed a much higher risk (66.7%) of bacterial contamination compared to what was observed in Central (58.3%) and Nyakabirizi (58.3%) Divisions. All the sampled water sources were contaminated hence they posed substantial risk to users in the communities. Regular water examination and quality control including microbial assessment of all water sources should be maintained in the three Divisions of the Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality, Western Uganda.