INFLUENCE OF RAINFALL INTENSITY ON FAECAL CONTAMINATION IN RIVER NYANGORES OF MARA BASIN, KENYA: AN ECO-HEALTH INTEGRITY PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

–River Nyangoresis one of the major perennial tributaries of the famous Mara River. Rise in anthropogenic activities coupled with environmental factors have posed an effect onits water quality. This study investigated the influence of rainfall intensity on microbiological water quality of River Nyangores. It involved the use of Membrane Filtration Technique and Heterotrophic Plate Count to determine the densities of total coliforms, Escherichia coli, intestinal enterococci, Clostridium perfringens,Salmonella spp. and total heterotrophic bacteria. Physico-chemical parameters of the water were also measured. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS software with 95% confident level. The results indicated that variation in rainfall eventshas an influence on the densities of faecaland easily degradable organic matter contaminants P<0.05. The study showed the need for better understanding and inclusion of hydrological characteristics of Nyangores River in improving its bacteriological water quality for its efficient ecological integrity restoration.