Drinking Water Quality and Microbial Contamination in Mosul City, Iraq — A Comparative Study of Tap, Storage Tank, and Bottled Water

• Noor Al-Hammadi1*

  Author

        This research assessed physico-chemical and microbial properties of tap, stored, and bottled water in Mosul City, Iraq. The Water Quality Index (WQI) was calculated, and data were analyzed using SPSS.

Physio-chemical analysis indicated that tap water had turbidity of 0.68–3.92 NTU, pH level of 6.20–6.96 (Right Side) and 6.60–7.32 (Left Side), TDS content of 18–204 mg L^-1 (Right Side) and 42 – 221 mg L^-1 (Left Side) and a DO concentration between 6.20 and 8.89 mg L^-1; in the storage tanks similar chemistry was observed with slightly higher TDS concentrations from78 to221 mg L^-1 along with lesser levels of DO ranging between 6.04 –8.98 mg L^-1. Bottled water was variable: turbidity 0.68–3.22 NTU, pH 6.60–7.21, and TDS 142–234 mg L^-1. The Water Quality Index (WQI) categorized tap water as good (42–48), stored tanks as poor (55–68), and bottled water as good to poor (35–65). Microbiological examination revealed Aeromonas salmonicida , Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Pseudomonas stutzeri, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Acinetobacter haemolyticus in bottled water. The Left Side had higher values of microbial contamination and WQI, which suggests that chemical parameters generally complied with WHO standards, whereas microbiological pollution in containers and bottled water extensively decreased the overall quality of water.

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