Tubewell water quality and predictors of contamination in three flood-prone areas in Bangladesh.

This study measured the enteric bacterial contamination of tubewells in three flood prone areas in Bangladesh and the relationship of bacteriological contamination with tubewell sanitary inspection scores. Microbiologists selected 207 tubewells and assessed their physical characteristics, collecting a single water sample from each. The results let to the conclusion that tubewells in flood-prone regions of Bangladesh were commonly contaminated with low levels of faecal organisms; this could not be predicted by examining the tubewell’s external characteristics. Significantly, the forms currently used for sanitary inspection do not identify the most important causes of drinking water contamination in these communities. Journal of Applied Microbiology (2008).