Objective To evaluate the microbial contamination of drinking water in rural areas of a city in Hebei Province and related risk factors, propose improvements to reduce waterborne diseases, and protect drinking water safety and human health in rural areas.
Methods Water samples (n=1 060) were collected from nine counties of a city in the dry season (March-April) and the wet season (July-August) of 2012. Evaluation procedures were following the Standard examination methods for drinking water (GB/T 5750-2006) and the Drinking water health standards (GB 5749-2006).
Results The qualification rate of all water samples was 65.8%. The lowest qualification rate of all single microbial indicators was 72.3% for total coliforms. The qualification rates for total bacteria count and heat-resistant coliform bacteria were 82.9% and 82.2% respectively. There were significant differences in the qualification rates of microbial indicators between the dry season and the wet season (χ2=17.25, P<0.01), between deep-well water and shallow-well water/other types (χ2=79.42, P<0.01), and among different regions (χ2=29.547, P<0.01).
Conclusion The microbial indicators of drinking water in rural areas of Shijiazhuang are influenced by a variety of factors such as time of water supply, type of source water, and region. Relevant departments should pay attention to control microbial contamination in drinking water by selecting deep-well water sources and strengthening water purification and disinfection in wet season to ensure drinking water safety.
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