Coliforms Contamination of Households Drinking Water in some parts of Kano Metropolis, Nigeria.

The association between water, sanitation, hygiene and health are well known. Many diseases are associated with contaminated water which man consume directly or indirectly through cooking, washing utensils, bathing, etc. Such circumstances results in various infections and diarrheal diseases. The aim of the research was to determine the relationship between hygiene practices and microbiological qualities of household drinking water in some parts of Kano, Nigeria. Coliforms were isolated by using membrane filter method with subsequent cultivation on differential and selective media. A total of 212 water samples were collected and 167 questionnaires were administered to each participating household. Of these 212, 83.0% of water samples used had coliform bacteria. A total of 143 (67.5%) households store their drinking water while only 69 (32.5%) collect and use their water without storage. Post-collection contamination was found to vary according to certain parameters like container used in collection and storage of the water, storage duration, number of children and wives and mode of collection.