Abstract
The water quality of Umgeni River in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) was investigated from April 2011 to January 2012. Indicator bacterial populations, physico-chemical properties, heavy metal contaminants and the presence of coliphages were determined according to standard protocols. The results showed that all sampling points failed to comply with the set guidelines for turbidity, total coliform, faecal coliform and total heterotrophic counts. Salmonella spp., Shigella spp. and Vibrio cholerae were also detected in all the water samples. The somatic coliphages and F-RNA coliphages were detected more frequently in the lower reaches of the river during summer. Temperature, electrical conductivity and pH were found to have positive relationships with the microbial communities especially in the lower catchment area during spring and summer indicating the impacts of various anthropogenic activities in the surrounding areas.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 33-51 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | International Journal of Environmental Health Research |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2 Jan 2015 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- canonical correspondence analysis
- coliphages
- indicator micro-organisms
- physico-chemical parameters
- Umgeni River
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pollution
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
