and its public health significance

Aim: The study was carried out to investigate the microbiological quality of packaged drinking water marketed in Jaipur city. 
 
Material and Methods: In the present study \'twenty\' drinking water samples (15 water bottles and 5 sachets) of different brands purchased randomly, were evaluated to access the water quality on the basis of different bacteriological parameters. 
 
Result: Out of twenty, 50% samples were found unsatisfactory in standard plate count. Psychrophillic, coliforms, E. coli and staphylococcal counts revealed that 25%, 45%, 20%, and 5% samples respectively were found unfit for human consumption as per Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) of drinking water. On the basis of results of overall microbiological assessment 55% of samples proved to be unfit for consumption. All brands of water sachet (100%) had high coliforms count which indicates faecal contamination. Amongst those sachets two brands (40%) had presence of E. coli and all the sachet water brands fell below drinking water standards while out of fifteen brands of bottled water 6 samples contained higher microbiological value hence unfit for human consumption. 
 
Conclusion: Local brands of packaged drinking water were found unfit for human condumption. So it is suggested that government should intensify the efforts in the monitoring of activities in this rapidly expanding industry with a view to supply potable and wholesome water to the public.


Introduction
had a remarkable impact on global ecology and environmental quality.So safety of water has become a Water is one of the indispensable resources for the matter of great concern.In recent time demand for continued existence of all living things including man.
packaged water is growing day by day around the The provision of an adequate supply of a safe drinking world and India is no exception to it.The usage of water was one of the eight components of primary bottled water in the world includes mainly North health care identified by the international conference America (30%), Europe (29%), Asia (27%) and other on primary health care in 1978.A clean and treated part of world (14%) [3].water supply to each house may be the norm in In India, there is an astronomical increase in the developed countries, but in developing countries, consumption of packaged waters especially bottled and access to both clean water and sanitation are not the sachet drinking water.The increased demand for rule, and waterborne infections are common.Two and a drinking water products is attributed largely to factors half billion people have no access to improved such as inadequate or non availability of reliable, safe sanitation, and more than 1.5 million children die each municipal water in urban areas.year from diarrheal diseases.According to the WHO, The association between water and disease has the mortality of water associated diseases exceeds 5 been known for long.The first authenticated report of million people per year [1].Water problem is a serious water borne disease from broad street water pump, problem in India as about 70% of surface water London was given by John snow.Since then water resources are being contaminated by biological toxic, borne disease outbreaks in human communities has organic and inorganic pollutants [2].Much of ill health been regularly reported from different parts of world which affects humanity primarily in developing including India.In India water borne outbreaks are countries can be traced due to lack of safe and common and few get reported.Near Vellore an wholesome water supply.As water is a primary outbreak was reported and 69 persons affected [4].The necessity of life, abundant and widely distributed in higher incidence of diarrhoea is always associated with nature but on other hand it is good solvent so get poor quality of drinking water [5].polluted easily.Rapid urbanization, industrialization In a study, the presence of presumptive coliforms and increase in human and animal population densities was reported in 10 percent samples collected from the On the basis of results of overall bacteriological assessment, bottled water manufactured by some brands [6].
45% of samples proved to be fit for consumption, while Although bacteria may be present in bottled waters at 55% samples had higher bacteriological values than low concentrations they are usually harmless, and BIS.Only 20% samples of bottled were found fit for outbreaks of human illness associated with bottled consumption in Bikaner [11].Fourty percent samples water are infrequent compared to those linked to tap of bottled and sachet waters were failed to meet microbial water [ sachet drinking waters sold in the selected areas of study.

Materials and Methods
In present study, psychrophilic count was unsatis-During study a total of 20 samples (15 bottled and factory in 25% samples, while high range (80%) of 5 sachet-packed) of different brands of packaged psychrophillic count were reported previously [11]; it mineral water were collected.All samples were purchased must be due to presence of organic matter and randomly from local market and street vendors of availability of low temperature [15].Jaipur city.They were transported in refrigerated In present study, 45% samples showed the conditions to the laboratory of the Department of presence of coliform while in Dhaka [16], in Lebanon Microbiology, Apollo College of Veterinary Medicine [17], in Tehran [18], in Bikaner [11], in Fiji [19] and in Agra Road, Jaipur and were examined in the lab within Ethopia [20] reported the 31.11%,18.8%, 14.28%, 4-6 hrs. of collection.
10%, 10%, 7%, and 7.41% of coliform contamination All the samples of mineral water were subjected of bottled water samples in their studies respectively.In to their bacteriological quality on the bases of standard contrast to above studies, results of another studies on plate count [ up to the 10 were prepared in test tubes from collected similar studies around the world like, in south east sample for using various bacteriological evaluations in Nigeria [24], in western Nigeria [14], and in north bottled and sachet-packed water.One ml of each eastern Nigeria [25] reported the presence of E. coli in dilution was inoculated in to the plate count agar (Hi-36%, 2.2% and 5% of total water sachet samples media) using pour plate technique to estimate total respectively.A study also showed the presence of viable count (TVC).MacConkey agar and eosin faecal coliform and E. coli in sachet water from Nigeria methylene blue (EMB) agar (Hi-media) were used for [26].isolation of E.coli, Total coliforms were estimated by These results show high faecal contamination in using the 5-tube most probable number (MPN) method sachet water than bottled water.All the sachet water and Mannitol Salt Agar (MSA) (Hi-media) used as a brands fell below drinking water standards.In a study selective media for staphylococcus spp.
of packaged drinking waters in Ibadan-Nigeria in which larger proportions of sachet water were found to

Results and Discussion
show positive coliform counts compared to bottled Microbial evaluation of all water samples revealed waters [27].In other study also reported the presence of that, out of twenty, 50% samples were found satisfactory E.coli by bacteriological analysis of the sachet drinking in standard plate count.On the other hand, psychrophillic, water samples [28].coliforms, E.coli and staphylococcal counts revealed Out of fifteen brands of bottled water 6 samples that 25%, 45%, 20%, and 5% samples respectively contained higher microbiological value hence unfit for were found unfit for human consumption as per Bureau consumption.It seems that the organism has survived of Indian Standards (BIS) for drinking water.(Table -

Conclusion
kept under chilled conditions.Such contaminated water also leads to gastrointestinal diseases [29] and Local brands of packaged drinking water were also responsible for food poisoning outbreaks.The found unfit for human condumption.So it is suggested carriage rate of E.coli and staphylococcus organism that government should intensify the efforts in the were found to be 20% and 5% respectively which monitoring of activities in this rapidly expanding support the findings of Uravashi et al., [11].
industry with a view to supply potable and wholesome The absence of faecal indicator bacteria in most water to the public.brands of bottled drinking water could be attributed to Author's contribution better hygienic practices observed in the industry compared to the sachet water producing industry.
RG, RT and AP participated in the preparation of These include use of protective sealed caps on bottles, experimental design and the facilities of the research.improved and hygienic filling system and use of non-RT and RG collected samples and send them to returnable plastic containers.laboratory for identification.RG, RT, AP and PD The microbial contaminations of packaged drinking involved in the bacteriological evaluation, analysed the water could be influenced by factors such as their raw data.RG, AP and KNM drafted and revised the water source, treatment process employed and hygienic manuscript.All the authors read and approved the final practices observed in production [30].Most sachet manuscript.water manufacturers are observed to utilize well water 7]. quality standards, hawked in Ilorin metropolis [12].Day by day increase in the sale and indiscriminate According to World Health Organization, a high SPC consumption of packaged drinking waters in Jaipur concentration is itself present a risk to human health.city is of public health significance.The present study SPC alone used as good indicators of the overall quality was conducted to evaluate the bacteriological quality of production [13,14].Therefore it is used in assessing of some packaged drinking water available in Jaipur the cleanliness of the different brands of bottle and (Rajasthan).

Table - 1
1) in water for pretty long time because the bottled water .Percentage of positive samples for bacteriological parameter of packaged drinking water.