The study aimed to determine the status of microbial load of drinking water and seasonal variation of water quality. An institution-based longitudinal study was conducted. 1,141 food establishments were divided into slum and non-slum areas based on their location. Moreover, they were categorized as large and small food establishments. Then, 125 food outlets were selected using a simple random sampling technique. From the selected food outlets, 250 drinking water samples were collected directly from the drinking water storage in the rainy and the dry seasons. Data analysis was conducted using a repeated-measure ANOVA statistical model. The finding indicated that, 26.4% and 10.7% of the food establishments' drinking water was positive for Escherichia coli in the wet and the dry season, respectively. Moreover, 3.2% and 1.6% of the food establishments' drinking water had very high health risk to customers during the wet and the dry season, respectively. The drinking water at the point of use was found to be vulnerable to microbiological contamination and had a serious health risk. Therefore, good sanitation and proper handling of drinking water, and effective drinking water treatment, such as disinfection and filtration, should be practiced in all food establishments.

该研究旨在确定饮用水的微生物负荷状况和水质的季节性变化。进行了基于机构的纵向研究。根据位置将1,141个食品企业分为贫民区和非贫民区。此外，它们被归类为大型和小型食品企业。然后，使用简单的随机抽样技术选择了125个食品商店。在雨季和旱季，从选定的食品零售店直接从饮用水存储中收集了250个饮用水样品。使用重复测量方差分析统计模型进行数据分析。调查结果表明，食品企业的饮用水中有26.4％和10.7％的大肠杆菌呈阳性分别在雨季和旱季。此外，在潮湿季节和干旱季节，分别有3.2％和1.6％的食品企业饮用水对客户的健康风险很高。发现使用时的饮用水容易受到微生物污染，并具有严重的健康风险。因此，应在所有食品企业中实施良好的卫生条件和适当的饮用水处理，以及有效的饮用水处理，例如消毒和过滤。