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Microbial faecal pollution of river water in a watershed of tropical Ethiopian highlands is driven by diffuse pollution sources
Publication . Mushi, Douglas; Kebede, Geda; Linke, Rita B.; Lakew, Aschalew; Hayes, Daniel S.; Graf, Wolfram; Farnleitner, Andreas H.
Tropical communities in the developing world depend heavily on riverine systems for their socioeconomic development. However, these
resources are poorly protected from diffuse pollution, and there is a lack of quantitative information regarding the microbial pollution characteristics
of riverine water, despite frequently reported gastrointestinal diseases. The aim of our study was to apply faecal taxation (i.e., faecal
pellet counting in representative test areas to estimate the potential availability of diffuse pollution sources) in combination with a detailed
microbiological faecal pollution analysis in a riverine environment to elucidate the importance of diffuse pollution. To realize this approach,
ambient faecal pellets, a multiparametric data set for standard faecal indicator bacteria (SFIB), including Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens
spores and enterococci from catchment soil and river water, and a number of riverine water physicochemical variables were analysed
during a one-year cycle. We demonstrated that the abundance of ambient faecal pellets, which were consistently counted at reference sites
in the catchment, was associated with faecal pollution in the river water. Water SFIB, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, conductivity and total suspended
solids were strongly linked with the abundance of ambient faecal pellets in the river catchment, as demonstrated by principal
component analysis (PCA). Elevated concentrations of SFIB in the riverine water in the absence of rainfall also suggested the direct input
of faecal bacteria into the riverine water by livestock (e.g., during watering) and humans (e.g., during bathing). Statistical analyses further
revealed that the microbiological water quality of the investigated riverine water was not influenced by SFIB potentially occurring in the
soil. This study demonstrates the importance of diffuse faecal pollution sources as major drivers of the microbiological quality of riverine
water in the Ethiopian highlands. In addition, the new successfully applied integrated approach could be very useful for developing predictive
models, which would aid in forecasting riverine microbiological quality in tropical developing countries
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Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
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OE
Número da atribuição
55298