Phycological and bacteriological assessment of drinking water in schools of Tanta city, Egypt

Abstract

Frequent water analysis is required to discover pollutants, describe water characteristics, and create a database for the water type that must be cleansed and treated in order to generate healthy water and, as a result, determine the best treatment method. In this regard, the goal of this research was to evaluate the overall physicochemical, phycological, and bacteriological properties of tap water samples taken periodically from 12 different Tanta city schools. In total, 57 algal species were identified throughout the investigation, 33 species belonging to Chlorophyta, 13 species to Bacillariophyta, and 11 species to Cyanophyta. Phytoplankton species richness and diversity were relatively stable in each school all year round. Chlorella, Cyclotella, Scenedesmus, which are organically pollution-tolerant genera according to Palmer's pollution index, were observed in the present study. Throughout the research seasons, total and fecal coliform bacteria were positively correlated (r = 0.94) in all of the study area sites. The counts of pollution indicators were more in groundwater than treated water. HIGHLIGHTS Physicochemical, phycological, and bacteriological qualities of tap water.; Phytoplankton species richness and diversity of schools.; Total and fecal coliform bacteria were detected in drinking water.; Pollution indicators were more in groundwater than treated water.;

Keywords

• bacteria
• environmental parameters
• palmer's index
• phytoplankton
• pollution
• water quality