The microbial qualities of eighteen 500ml sachet water
samples vended for drinking in Damaturu, Yobe State, Nigeria
were investigated using standard analytical tests. The results of
the microbial examination indicate that only 55.56% of the
samples showed coliform count ranging from 0-1 per 100ml of
the samples. Results also showed that 44.44% of the 500ml
sachets were contaminated by Bacillus species, 16.66% by
Escherichia coli and 11.11% by Staphylococcus aureus. This
indicates that only about 27.78% of the samples fell within the
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and
Control (NAFDAC) acceptable limits and are therefore safe
while 72.22% are unsafe for drinking. There is therefore the
need to enforce the NAFDAC drinking water regulatory
guidelines and frequent monitoring should be ensured to
safeguard human lives in the area of study.