AN ASSESSMENT OF BACTERIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF THE SPRING WATER FROM SIKKIM, INDIA.

The study's aim is to assess drinking water quality in the springs of the state of Sikkim. Physico-chemical properties and pathogenic bacterial presence (including their drug resistance profile) have been studied across seasons. Important findings are (a) the concentration of iron and manganese is above the permissible limit; (b) high contamination with pathogenic bacteria exists. These are Escherichia coli (22.4%) followed by Klebsiella spp. (20.6%), Citrobacter spp. (7.5%) and Shigella spp. (7.1%). Isolated samples show that these bacteria have high resistance to common antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]