Microbiological quality of well water in Kalutara District.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the microbiological quality of well water in the Kalutara district. METHOD A retrospective analysis was carried out of reports on water samples taken from tube wells, protected wells and unprotected wells in Kalutara district in 2007. Information was obtained from laboratory registers and request forms. RESULTS In 2007, the microbiological quality of 185 samples of well water had been tested. Of these, 120 (64.86%) were unsuitable for consumption, and 106 (57.3%) samples were contaminated with Escherichia coli. CONCLUSIONS A high percentage of well water samples tested from the Kalutara District were unsuitable for consumption, with over half contaminated with Escherichia coli.