Microbial Contamination of Groundwater in Rural Area of Sittwe District, Rakhine State, Myanmar

Rakhine state has high rates of open defecation compared to other parts of Myanmar. In the rural area of Sittwe district, pit latrines were constructed near the water sources such as boreholes, wells, lakes, creeks and river. The discharge of chemical and microbial contaminants from pit latrines to groundwater may have a negative impact on human health and drainage and solid waste disposal are major challenges in both urban and rural area. Open defecation, lack of waste management disposal, construction of pit latrines near water sources lead to fecal contamination or pollution of groundwater table. Groundwater samples in rural area of Sittwe district, Rakhine State, Myanmar were characterized microbiological properties of groundwater. For microbiological analysis, water samples were analyzed qualitative analysis of total coliform and quantitative analysis of fecal coliform (Escherichia coli; E. coli.) by membrane filtration technique (MFT) to determine the safety aspect on utilization of groundwater as a source of drinking purpose. Almost all the indicator organisms’ counts in collected samples were above WHO guidelines for drinking water quality and Myanmar national drinking water quality standard (MNDWQS). The presence of fecal coliform bacteria indicates that the water is contaminated with fecal waste from human or warm-blooded animals and the present of total coliform indicate that the groundwater is contaminated with both fecal waste and other coliform species from the environment. Safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and hygiene are crucial to prevent microbiological contamination of drinking water which can produce diseases such as diarrhea. Reduction of open defecation, construction of systematic latrines, proper waste disposal and management can protect the groundwater pollution and also increase the quality of drinking water.