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ABSTRACT
Access to clean and safe water and good hygiene is essential for the well-being of individuals living in close quarters, such as university hostels. This study presents a comprehensive assessment of the water quality and hygiene status of female hostels within the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria. Water samples were collected from the various female hostels, physicochemical and bacteriological qualities were investigated, adopting standard analytical procedures and bacteriological techniques respectively. The result revealed that the pH values of water samples from the hostels ranged from 5.04 to 5.61. Electrical Conductivity ranged from 14.9µS/cm to 58.6µS/cm respectively. Turbidity ranged from 4.0 NTU to 6.5 NTU respectively. The turbidity levels were above the permissible standard of WHO (<1NTU) in this study. Dissolved Oxygen (DO) ranged from 5.8mg/L to 7.2mg/L respectively. Magnesium (Mg) concentration ranged from 0.01mg/L to 0.17mg/L. Chromium was not detected in any of the water samples. Nitrate concentration ranged from 4.09mg/L to 25.2mg/L respectively. Total heterotrophic bacterial counts ranged from 19.00 x 10 cfu/ml to 136.00 x 10 cfu/ml respectively. The total coliform bacterial count ranged from 2.00 x 10 cfu/ml to 129.00 x 10 cfu/ml respectively. Responses from the questionnaire survey indicated that boreholes were accessible within the female hostels. Alarmingly, 87 respondents reported the presence of sand particles and visible impurities in the water, while 90 (60%) respondents stated the absence of soap and/or water in the toilets. Therefore, findings from this study recommend the urgent need for targeted interventions aimed at enhancing water quality and promoting effective hygiene practices within these hostel.
