Physicochemical and microbiological quality of water in public outdoor swimming pools in South Nations Nationalities People Regional State, Southern Ethiopia: Cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Swimming is a fashionable and wonderful form of recreational activity, sport, rehabilitative treatment and is generally considered to be  healthy exercise for both young and old people. However, the risk of infection has been linked to faecal contamination of the swimming pool due to faeces released by bathers, contaminated source water or as the result of direct animal contamination. Swimmers are infected when they swallow contaminated pool water.

Objective: This study was aimedto assess the physicochemical and microbiological quality of water in public swimming pools in South Nations Nationalities People Regional State, Southern Ethiopia.

Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine quality of water in swimming pool from July, 2018 to November, 2018. A purposive sampling technique was used to select swimming pools. Physicochemical and microbiological tests were  made on water sample from selected pools. Descriptive statistics were performed to construct tables for physical parameters, chemical parameters, total plate counts (TPC), thermotolerant coliform (fecal coliform), and E. coli.

Result:  A total of 12 swimming pools were included in this study and 54 water samples were collected. All the swimming pool water samples were beyond World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendation for both PH level and conductivity. Almost all, 91.7% (11/12) of the swimming pools were violated the WHO Standard of Heterotrophic Plate Count (HPC). Five out of twelve swimming pools) were not comply with the WHO limit (<1/100ml) for thermotolerant (faecal) coliform count.  Four of the total swimming pools were confirmed for the presence of thermotolerant Escherichia coli (E. coli).

Conclusion: All the participated swimming pools violate the WHO recommendation for PH value and conductivity. In addition, all water samples were contaminated with mold. Half of the outdoor swimming pools violate for the lower limit value of WHO for thermotolerant (faecal) coliform count. No parasites were detected in all the swimming pools.