1. ROBIA ARSHAD - Department of Environmental Science, NFC IET, Multan, Pakistan.
2. MAQSOOD AHMAD - Department of Environmental Science, Balochistan University of information technology Engineering and
Management Sciences, Quetta, Pakistan.
3. NAVEED IQBAL - Department of Biotechnology, Balochistan University of information technology Engineering and
Management Sciences, Quetta, Pakistan.
4. SYED ALI RAZA - Department of Irrigation, Government of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
5. MUHAMMAD FARHAN - Sustainable Development Study Center, GCU Lahore, Pakistan.
6. IMRAN ALI SANI - Department of Biotechnology, Balochistan University of information technology Engineering and
Management Sciences, Quetta, Pakistan.
7. ASIF RAHEEM - Department of Microbiology, Balochistan University of information technology Engineering and
Management Sciences, Quetta, Pakistan.
8. FAHEEM NAWAZ - Department of Environmental Science, Balochistan University of information technology Engineering and
Management Sciences, Quetta, Pakistan.
9. MUHAMMAD RAFIQ - Department of Microbiology, Balochistan University of information technology Engineering and
Management Sciences, Quetta, Pakistan.
10. ZAHID ALI BUTT - Department of Botany, Government College Women University, Sialkot, Pakistan.
The study was designed to determine drinking water quality with reference to antibiotic and antibiotic resistant bacteria. Water samples were taken from Rawal dam (before and after treatment), distribution system and boreholes. Microbiological analysis revealed that both ground and borehole water samples were contaminated with heterotrophic bacteria, fecal streptococci, fecal coliform, total coliform and pathogenic gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. During dry season the detection frequency of the antibiotics were high while during rainy season it was low. Most prominent antibiotics were CIP, CEF and AMO with detection frequencies at 16.7%, 7.9% and 2.4% during rainy season respectively. Out of eight only three antibiotics (AMO, CIP and CEF) were detected during rainy season. Antibiotics ranged from74 ng/L to 1 ng/L during dry season, 0 to 21 ng/L during rainy season and 0 to 43 ng/L during normal season. The pathogenic bacteria were highly resistant to KAM (91.3%) and lowest to AMC (16.67%). 191 of 193 were resistant to at least 3 antibiotics while 182 of 193 were resistant to five to eight antibiotics. Results of the study reveals that, health risk regarding the antibiotics and antibiotic resistant bacteria are high and will be even more hazardous in the future.
Antibiotic contamination, Antibiotic resistance, Ground water, Pathogen, Potable water, Seasonal variation, Surface water.