A Comparative Analysis of Microbiological Water Quality at the Point of Collection and Point of Use in Households in George Compound Lusaka

<div> Access to safe drinking water remains a critical public health challenge in urban informal settlements,&nbsp; </div> <div> where water may be safe at collection but become contaminated during household storage and&nbsp; </div> <div> handling. This study compared the microbiological water quality at the point of collection (POC) and&nbsp; </div> <div> point of use (POU) among households in George Compound, Lusaka, Zambia. An analytical cross </div> <div> sectional study was conducted among 138 households in George Compound, Lusaka, from January&nbsp; </div> <div> to March 2026. Paired water samples were collected from 10 boreholes (point of collection) and 138&nbsp; </div> <div> household storage containers (point of use). Samples were analyzed for fecal coliform count (FCC)&nbsp; </div> <div> and total bacterial count (TBC) using standard microbiological procedures. Data were analyzed using&nbsp; </div> <div> SPSS version 26, employing descriptive statistics, one-sample t-tests, and paired t-tests to compare&nbsp; </div> <div> contamination levels between POC and POU. WHO drinking water guidelines (0 CFU/100ml for&nbsp; </div> <div> fecal coliform) served as the reference standard. At the point of collection, the mean fecal coliform&nbsp; </div> <div> count was 2.30 CFU/100ml (SD=5.62), with 70% of boreholes showing no detectable contamination.&nbsp; </div> <div> A one-sample t-test confirmed no statistically significant difference from the WHO standard of 0&nbsp; </div> <div> CFU (p=0.228). However, at the point of use, mean fecal coliform increased dramatically to 20.75&nbsp; </div> <div> CFU/100ml (SD=32.19), representing an 802% increase. Alarmingly, 100% of households had&nbsp; </div> <div> detectable fecal contamination at POU, with 30% classified as high risk (&gt;10 CFU/100ml), 60% as&nbsp; </div> <div> medium risk (5-10 CFU/100ml), and only 10% as low risk (&lt;5 CFU/100ml). No household met the&nbsp; </div> <div> WHO guideline of 0 CFU/100ml at the point of consumption. Paired t-test analysis revealed that the&nbsp; </div> <div> differences between POC and POU were statistically significant for both fecal coliform (mean&nbsp; </div> <div> difference = -18.45 CFU, t (19) =-2.158, p=0.004) and total bacterial counts (mean difference =&nbsp; </div> <div> 46.55 CFU, t (19) =-1.862, p=0.012). While borehole water in George Compound is generally safe at&nbsp; </div> <div> the point of collection, severe post-collection contamination occurs universally across all households.&nbsp; </div> <div> The 802% deterioration in microbiological quality indicates that contamination pathways exist within&nbsp; </div> <div> household storage and handling practices rather than at the source. Every household in the study area&nbsp; </div> <div> consumes fecally contaminated drinking water, placing residents at significant risk of waterborne&nbsp; </div> <div> diseases including cholera and typhoid fever. The study recommends immediate point-of-use water&nbsp; </div> <div> treatment (boiling or chlorination) for all households; replacement of narrow-mouthed storage&nbsp; </div> <div> containers with wide-mouthed, cleanable alternatives; establishment of handwashing stations near&nbsp; </div> <div> water storage areas; and targeted community health worker interventions for the 41 high-risk&nbsp; </div> <div> households identified. Lusaka Water Supply and Sanitation Company should investigate and&nbsp; </div> <div> remediate the three contaminated boreholes, particularly Borehole 8 (18 CFU/100ml). Future research&nbsp; </div> <div> should include longitudinal seasonal studies, structured observations of household water handling&nbsp; </div> <div> practices, and intervention studies to evaluate the effectiveness of different contamination reduction&nbsp; </div> <div> strategies.&nbsp; </div>