Treatment of water from different sources for safe drinking of rural poultry and livestock of Bangladesh

Abstract

The research work was under taken to find out the effect of various treatments on water of different sources with a view to supply safe drinking water for rural poultry and livestock. For that, water of four different sources (lake, river, tap, tube well of BAU campus) were collected during the period from December 2006 to June 2007 and subjected to several treatments with physical (heat) and chemical (Hello tab, bleaching powder, potassium permanganate, alum and acetic acid) means in the Department of Microbiology and Hygiene, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202 with a view to get water free from deleterious microorganisms those are easily transmitted through drinking water of the above mentioned sources. Water of all the sources were subjected to microbiological examination before and after treatment. No bacteria was found in the water samples collected from tube well of five places of BAU campus following cultural examination. Gram positive rod shaped bacteria were isolated from the river and tap water of Ishakhan Hall Lake (IHL), Brahmaputra river (BR), Taposhi Rabeya Hall (TRH), Teacher staff quarter (TSQ), Microbiology laboratory (ML) and Bangabandhu Hall (BBH) whereas Gram negative rod shaped bacteria (E. coli) were isolated from the water of IHL, BR and from the tap water of ML and BBH. Gram positive cocci was found only in the tap water of ML. The pre-treatment culture of water samples revealed that the TVC (387 CFU/ml) and TCC (75 CFU/ml) were highest in the water of lake compare to those of other water samples collected from river and taps. As a physical means heat treatment (1000C for 4 to 8 minutes) was highly effective. No single colony was found in all the water samples following treatment with heat. No changes in colour, taste and odour were noticed before and after heat treatment of all the water samples. Among the chemical agents, Hello tab (0.05 g/100 ml) was found to be the most effective to make the water free from all the microbial contamination. The taste, colour and odour of the Hello tab treated water samples were found as normal as safe drinking water. The colour, taste and odour of water treated with bleaching powder, potassium permanganate, alum and acetic acid were also examined and it was found that the colour, taste and odour were not normal after treatment of the water samples. Therefore, it may be concluded that the water treated with Hello tab was found superior compare to the water of other treatments in this study which was found free from microbial contamination and unpleasant taste and order.

Key words: Water, microorganisms, chemical agents, heat

DOI = 10.3329/bjvm.v6i1.1337

Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2008). 6 (1): 37-43