Impact Assessment of On-site Sanitation System on the Quality of Groundwater in Rural Areas of Patna, Bihar

Abstract

In rural part of Bihar Pit latrines and Septic tanks are commonly used as a constituent of onsite sanitation system. These may affect ground water by contaminating through lateral leaching during monsoon. Present study was to investigate the impact of onsite sanitation system on groundwater quality in two distantly located villages Nawada and Shekhpura of Patna district Bihar. For microbial assessment across three season, MPN technique was used for coliform density and isolated colonies on selective media were characterized through biochemical test. Further antibiotic susceptibility test was performed using kirby Bauer disk diffusion method against selected antibiotics. Result show severe faecal contamination. High MPN indices during monsoon indicating heavy leaching from nearby OSS structure. Many isolates confirm faecal contamination. AST result reveals multi drug resistive strains. Result outcomes suggest that shallow aquifer in these rural settings is significantly impacted by leaching through OSS. Presence of MDR bacteria in drinking water sources leads to substantial public health risk. These findings indicate that shallow aquifers in both villages are significantly affected by lateral leaching from OSS during rainfall. This suggests an urgent need for improved OSS design, routine groundwater monitoring and targeted public health interventions to mitigate microbial and antibiotic-resistant contamination risks.