Abstract
Waterborne microbial infection is one of the major threats to the drinking water supply in the urban, suburban as well as rural areas. Moreover, improper sanitation and contaminated food further increase human exposure to these dreadful organisms. Reports suggest almost 1.7 million deaths occur each year around the globe because of unhygienic water consumption, improper sanitation, and an unhealthy lifestyle. Most widely, deaths occurred due to infectious diarrhea. Out of the total 10 death cases, 9 are 5-year-old children due to waterborne infectious diseases in developing nations. The major enteric pathogens that are seen mostly in children are Campylobacter jejuni, Rotavirus, Escherichia coli, Shigella, and Vibrio cholera. These bacteria can easily be controlled by processes like chlorination of water, but recontamination due to the formation of biofilms in the water distribution system can be again a major problem. Along with this, helminths, Giardia lamblia, Hepatitis A and E and Entamoeba histolytica, several other enteroviruses prevail in adults and children equally. Studies worldwide have revealed that antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic-resistant genes are also becoming prevalent in water bodies and getting spread to communities through drinking water systems. Cryptosporidiosis is another prevalent enteric disease that has been found during waterborne outbreaks, especially caused due to the supply of poor quality of potable water. The existing water safety rules have a lot of drawbacks that make the assessment of risk factor difficult as well as to conduct an epidemiological study to implement newer water safety plans. Scientific and correct disposal of household, industrial, agricultural, and hospital effluents along with a proper sanitation system can increase the water safety levels and consequently decrease the outbreak of waterborne diseases. This chapter embodies various aspects of drinking water contamination by microorganisms, waterborne infections/diseases, their transmission, and the global scenario regarding its control. This chapter also deals with the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains and genes through drinking water. It is not only the responsibility of the Government organization and other regulatory authorities but also of every individual to learn about microbial water pollution and take necessary steps for its reduction.
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Rath, S. (2021). Microbial Contamination of Drinking Water. In: Singh, A., Agrawal, M., Agrawal, S.B. (eds) Water Pollution and Management Practices. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8358-2_1
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