Food & Nutrition

Arab Journal of Food & Nutrition
48. A Study of the Microbial and Chemical Quality of Drinking Water in Selected
Areas in Amman (2000)
Hamzah Mar’i Al-Qadiri\ University of Jordan
Supervisor:Dr. Mohammed Isam Yamani
Co-supervisor:Dr. Mohammed R. Shatanawi
This research project was undertaken to study the microbial and chemical quality
of drinking water in regions in Western and Northern Amman, Jordan. Ninety samples
from residences and 36 samples from restaurants were collected in regions in Western
Amman, which are supplied with water originating from Zai Water Treatment Plant. In
each category half of the samples was from municipal water and the other half was
from water storage tanks connected to the municipal water network. A similar scheme
was done in regions in Northern Amman which are supplied with water originating
from Yajouz Water Supply Station, but the number of samples was 60 and 20,
respectively.
Heterotrophic plate counts of all samples ranged from 0 to 750 CFU/100 ml with
an average of 141 CFU/100 ml. None of the municipal water samples of direct water
line exited from both stations was contaminated by coliforms, fecal coliforms, fecal
enterococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Aeromonas hydrophila. The latter bacterium
was not detected in any municipal or tank water sample.
Only two samples of residence municipal water originating from Zai plant were
contaminated by coliforms. In these samples, in which free residual chlorine
concentrations were lower than that recommended by the JS 286:1997, coliform count
was 3 and 5 CFU/100ml and no fecal coliforms or fecal enterococci were recovered.
One residence sample of municipal water originating from each station was slightly
contaminated by P. aeruginosa (12 and 15 CFU/ 100 ml). The interior water network
in these residences was rusted and was leakage.
Microbiological quality of samples of tank water in Western Amman was
generally lower than that of the municipal water. Noticeable number of these samples
was not in compliance with JS 286:1997. Number of samples which were
contaminated by coliforms, enterococci and/or P. aeruginosa was 16 (3 5.6%) and 12
(66.7%) in tank water samples in Western Amman in residences and restaurants,
respectively. The respective number of samples in Northern Amman was 1 (3.3%) and
0. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the predominant bacterial contaminant in storage
tanks.
Intestinal nematodes were not detected in any drinking water sample. Entamoeba
histolytica was detected in two samples collected from residence water storage tanks in
Western Amman. In the same area algae were detected in 5 residence water tanks and
one restaurant tank. Algae were only detected in one residence water tank in Northern
Amman. The predominant detected algae were diatoms.
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Volume 62 11, No. 25, 2011