Determination of physio-chemical and bacteriological quality of public outdoor swimming pools within and around Makerere University

Abstract

Despite the importance of swimming pools to man, they have been looked at as disease transmission channels in the world. However, there is insufficient information on physicochemical and bacteriological compliance of swimming pools water in Uganda. This study carried out a physicochemical and bacteriological assessment of pool water samples from five selected swimming pools in and around Makerere University Kawempe division in Kampala. A cross-sectional study was conducted using 50 water samples purposively collected from five swimming pools. Physicochemical parameters (pH, temperature, total dissolved solids, chlorine levels) were measured using portable metres, while bacteriological quality was assessed through membrane filtration, culture on Plate Count Agar and Chromo Cult Agar, and biochemical identification of isolates. All pools complied with WHO standards for temperature (25-28oC), TDS(<2000ppm), and chlorine levels(1-5ppm), but none met the recommended pH range (7.4-7.6), with values between 6.76 and 6.99. Total plate counts exceeded WHO limit(<200 CFU/mL) in all samples indicating high microbial loads. Three pools (A1, C1, and D1) showed Escherichia coli contamination of upto 30 CFU/mL. Eleven (11) isolates were identified: E. coli (45.45%), Serratia (27.27%), Klebsiella (18.18%), and Citrobacter (9.09%). Pools with lower pH and fluctuating chlorine levels corresponded with higher bacteriological contamination. Although physicochemical parameters partly met WHO standards, bacteriological contamination posed a public health risk. Strengthened water treatment, routine monitoring, and enforcement of national pool water quality standards are essential to safeguard swimmers’ health.