ABSTRACT
Microbial contamination is the most critical risk factor in drinking water quality with the potential for widespread waterborne disease. Illness derived from chemical contamination of drinking water supplies is negligible when compared to that due to microbial pathogens (Galbraith et al., 1987; Herwaldt et al., 1992). Globally 5 million people die each year from disease and illness caused by unsafe water supplies and inadequate sanitation, with an estimated 200 million cases of water-related diarrhoeal illness leading to 2.1 million deaths annually.
