The Baynespruit River was shown to be heavily contaminated with
fecal coliforms and E. coli and did not meet the WHO guideline criteria
for safe irrigation. Target microorganisms commonly used as indicators
for the hygiene status of foods frequently exceeded the DOH
limit values for safe consumption. This indicates that the presence of
these organisms on produce might be due to a transfer from fecally
contaminated irrigation water which might place consumers at risk.
In addition, even in the absence of rainfall, other factors might
contribute to increased levels of indicator bacteria and potential
pathogens in river water and subsequently on produce. To minimize
potential risks associated with river water irrigation, the proper use of
river water as well as cheap and efficient methods to reduce microbial
loads in microbially contaminated water used for irrigation needs to
be implemented.