| Abstract: | In October and November 1983 bacteriological examinations of drinking water were done in the district of Melut/Upper Nile Province/South Sudan. The samples were taken from the middle of the White Nile, from handpumps along the river-bank, from the bank of the river and from drinking water bowls in the village of Melut and other surrounding villages within about 100 kilometers. All together 213 water samples were bacteriologically examined. The examinations of the samples taken from the river-bank and from the drinking water bowls showed very high plate counts (10(4)-10(7) colonies/ml) and a very high identification rate of Escherichia coli (11.1-31.5%) and of coliforms (82.1-92.8%). The water from the middle of the White Nile and from the handpumps, which are pumping water from a distance of 25 meters from the river-bank, had a better bacteriological quality. The plate counts were about 10(3)-10(4) colonies/ml. Escherichia coli could only be identified in one sample from the handpumps (4.4%) and coliforms were found in 40% of the samples of the middle of the Nile and in 48.8% of the samples from the handpumps. The trial to get qualitative better water with handpumps from regions far away from the river-bank, can be viewed as successful. |
