Bacteriological Assessment of Drinking Water Sources of Uttarakhand, India

Bacteriological monitoring is a valuable assessment key for water quality analyses besides the physico-chemical parameters. The present study compared the water quality for total coliform and fecal coliform bacteria in raw and supply (after treatment) major drinking water sources of all 13 districts of Uttarakhand state and also highlights the potential of treatment being adopted. The results of this bacteriological analysis have clearly indicated that the raw water sources in both Garhwal and Kumaun regions were more contaminated as compared to supply water sources. However, supply water sources of Kumaun region are less contaminated with respect to Garhwal region. It reveals that the adequate treatment is being applied before the municipal water supply in Kumaun region and significant disparity is found in the efficiency of water treatment processes in Garhwal region. The drinking water sources of Haridwar and Bageshwar districts were found less contaminated among all the districts of Garhwal and Kumaun regions, respectively. Moreover, the percentage distribution of raw and supply water sources at selected sites affected by coliform contamination has also been reported herein.