Abstract

Rivers are the most important freshwater resource for man. Apart from its function as a source of freshwater for drinking, domestic and industrial uses; freshwater resources serve multiple functions most of them being critical to human settlement and survival. Safe water is a fundamental right of humans and if contaminated with opportunistic pathogens, may be unsafe for human use and consumption and can also serve as vehicle for spread of diseases, hence there is need for investigating the anthropogenic effects on the microbial community of river Ibi in Taraba state, Nigeria. Water microbial analysis were conducted for three weeks in the morning and evening; at two sections: A (along the river banks) and B (inside the river) using standard microbiological methods. Physicochemical analysis of water samples at two sections was conducted. The result shows Parameters such as colour, pH, DO, BOD, turbidity and TSS exceeded the WHO standard, while temperature, alkalinity, total hardness, TDS, and conductivity complied with the WHO standard for drinking water. The highest bacterial count ranged from 6.0x104 CFU m-3 to 5.0x104. The result shows the isolation of the following bacteria including: Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysenteriae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, enterobacter species. Staphylococcus aureus (99%) was the most frequently isolated bacteria. The molecular analysis of some organism shows Staphylococcus aureus with 100% ID and 100% query. This study shows that anthropogenic activities such as farming, waste disposal, buying and selling among others encourage the growth and replication of microorganism in water sample and these has to be reduced to minimize its health effect on human.