Quality of Well Water Treated with Moringa oleifera Lam Seeds in Mozambique

Introduction: Access to safe drinking water remains a major public health challenge in Mozambique, especially for populations of low socioeconomic status and those living in rural areas. Natural coagulants such as Moringa oleifera seed powder have been proposed as sustainable, low-cost alternatives for water purification. This study aimed to evaluate the microbiological and physicochemical quality of well water before and after treatment with M. oleifera seed powder.

Methods: Water samples were collected from three randomly selected wells in the Lusaka-A neighborhood, Nampula City. Treatments were carried out by adding 100 mg, 50 mg, and 25 mg of M. oleifera seed powder to sterilized containers, followed by agitation and sedimentation for 60 and 120 minutes. The supernatants were filtered and analyzed for microbiological parameters (fecal and total coliforms, Vibrio cholerae) and physicochemical parameters (pH, conductivity, total solids, and turbidity). All experiments were performed in triplicate.

Results: No total coliforms or V. cholerae were detected in the treated samples. The best removal of fecal coliforms (100%) was achieved at a concentration of 1 g/L after both 60 and 120 minutes of sedimentation. For total solids, the highest removal rates occurred at 1 g/L (56% after 60 min and 57% after 120 min) and 0.5 g/L (46% after 60 min and 52% after 120 min). The treatment had no statistically significant effect on pH (p = 0.215), conductivity (p = 0.407), or turbidity (p = 0.337).

Conclusion: Treatment with M. oleifera seed powder effectively improved the microbiological quality of well water without significantly altering its physicochemical characteristics. These findings indicate that M. oleifera may represent a viable, low-cost, and environmentally friendly option for improving water quality and reducing the risk of waterborne diseases in rural communities.