A BACTERIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF WATER IN THE HALLS OF RESIDENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BENIN

INTRODUCTION: Water has an essential role in life and is inextricably intertwined with it; without water, there would be no life. Because of this, it is essential that water always get the appropriate amount of attention at all times. The provision of clean water for consumption is not a frivolous amenity but rather one of the most fundamental necessities of existence. As a result, the provision of potable water to all people has captured the interest of a great number of individuals, groups, and both public and private organizations. (Egberongbe, 2022). The use of water that is free of infectious organisms is an essential component in eliminating one of the primary channels via which infectious diseases are spread. Because of this, there has been an increase in investment all over the globe in the building of water systems that are intended to fulfill severe requirements for the quality of the water. (Saravanan , 2022). It is estimated that each year there are 4 billion instances of endemic diarrheal illness and 2.5 million fatalities as a result of the condition. A large portion of these cases and deaths are caused by waterborne pathogens, which include a range of viral, bacterial, algal, and protozoan agents. Saravanan , 2022). The ever-increasing human population has put a significant strain on the world's ability to provide clean water for human use, particularly in less developed nations (UAjayi , 2021).

Unsafe water poses a concern to public health on a worldwide scale, putting individuals at risk for a variety of diseases, including those related to the digestive tract, as well as chemical poisoning (Ajayi , 2021). In the underdeveloped world, young children are especially vulnerable to the harmful consequences of drinking unsanitary water. More than 2 million people, the vast majority of whom are children less than 5 years old, lose their lives to diarrheal diseases each year (Ajayi, 2021). There is a correlation between hazardous or insufficient water supplies and sanitation conditions, which impact a significant portion of the world's population, and about 90 percent of diarrheal disease-related fatalities (Fitzmaurice, 2022; WHO 2019). It is estimated that 2.6 billion people do not have access to sanitary facilities that meet basic standards.

The University of Benin in Benin City is home to five primary residential halls for students (halls 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5). In addition, the school has a number of different staff quarters, including a Junior Staff Quarter, a Senior Staff Quarter, a Dentistry Quarter, and a Doctor's Quarter. The water supply for these halls comes from borehole water that is kept in tanks located above ground level. The issue of environmental contamination caused by hazardous metals has recently started to raise concerns across the majority of the world's most important urban areas.