Assessment of microbiological quality of potable water distributed in buses of Karandish terminal

Due to the lack of proper rail road and air transportation, most commutes in Iran are carried out by buses. In most cases, the water in the busses is used for passengers for drinking usage. Although this kind of water source has provided convince for the travelers, it could be a great risk in disease outbreak. The aim of this study is to determine the water quality in commuting buses of Shiraz Karandish terminal in winter 2011. The study is of descriptive-cross-sectional type. 48 samples were collected through quota sampling. In this study, water microbial contamination (total and fecal coliform bacteria) was studied by method using nine-tube fermentation (MPN). The residual chlorine amount, Turbidity, pH and temperature were measured. SPSS software version 11.5 was used for statistical analysis. Results suggested that 18.75% of total coliform and 4.17 % of fecal coliform were positive. The turbidity in 8.3 % of the cases was at the standard level (0.1-1NTU). Comparing between the results of this research with other studies showed that fecal contamination in bus water fountain of Shiraz was less than fecal contamination in bus water fountain of Kermanshah, Bandar Abbas and Kerman but it was more than Isfahan.