Comparative treatment of well and stream water for drinking

The objective of this research work was to compare the coagulating power of Moringa oleifera seeds with that of alum.Raw water samples were collected from various wells and streams in Modakeke area,Ile-Ife,Osun state,Nigeria.Results show that Moringa oleifera seed is a better coagulating agent than alum because it had an average coagulating power of 85.3% while that of alum was 78.3%.The filter bed had 85.7% reduction in microbial load for Moringa oleifera treated water while there was 79.1% reduction in microbial load for alum treated water.Also,the effectiveness of solar disinfection for the Moringa oleifera treated clear filtrate was 98.1% while that of alum treated water was 91.5%.Hence,Moringa oleifera,sand filtration and solar energy are good alternatives for water treatment especially in rural areas that can't afford sophisticated water treatment plant or chemicals.