Online available since 2014/Jun/07 at www.oricpub.com © (2014) Copyright ORIC Publications Journal of Medical Sciences and Public Health Vol. 2, No. 2 (2014), 43-51 ISSN: 2331-5199 Homepage: http://www.oricpub.com/j-med-sci-pub-health ORICPublications www.oricpub.com All rights reserved. No part of contents of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of ORIC Publications, www.oricpub.com. Microbial Contamination of Surface Water Sources in Rural Areas of Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria 1 T. Ichor , 1 E. U. Umeh, 2 E. E. Duru 1 Department of Biological Sciences University of Agriculture, PMB 2373, Makurdi Benue State, Nigeria. 2 Department of Microbiology, University of Port Harcourt Choba, Rivers State, Nigeria. Abstract Surface water constitutes the main source of rural water supply in parts of Benue State. Samples of such water from three sources (ponds, rivers and streams) randomly picked from different parts of Guma L.G.A of Benue state were investigated in order to determine the extent of microbial contamination. Seasonal variation in contamination was also determined in the study which spanned over seven months. A total of one hundred and forty samples were involved in microbial analyses. Microorganisms identified and their occurrence (in percentage) includes: Escherichia coli (84:4%), Klebsiella spp (58.6%), Proteus spp (22.1%), Salmonella spp (71.4%), Streptococcus spp (57.9%), Diptheriods (63.6%), Staphylococcus aureus (40.70%), Aerobacter aerogenes (47.9%), Shigella spp (64.6%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (42.1%) and Clostridium perfringenes (25.7%).Contamination was higher during the rainy compared to dry season (P < 0.05). The mean viable count, source of water and seasons of the year were significantly correlated. The study reveals a higher level of contamination of rural water supply by microbes compared to WHO’s recommendat ion of microbes in any domestic water supply source. A further study on the epidemiological implications of this finding is suggested. Introduction Surface water is the water running across or standing on the surface of the ground. These include bodies of water such as lakes, streams, rivers and ponds which serve as major sources of drinking water and other domestic uses to most cities and rural communities. Surface water is reported to be constantly under threat from environmental contamination. Contamination of water according to Chiras (1985) is a global problem affecting both the industrialized and developing nations. The water contamination problems in the rich and poor nations however are quite different in many respects. Keywords: Contamination Surface Water Microorganisms Rural Areas Seasonal Variation Received: 15 Feb 2014 Accepted: 20 May 2014 Correspondence: T. Ichor 1Department of Biological Sciences University of Agriculture, PMB 2373, Makurdi Benue State, Nigeria. smartichor2012@gmail.com