Water is the essence of life and safe drinking water is a basic human right essential to all, and for sustainable development (Kumar et al., WHO, 2006, Amenu et al., 2013b). Water quality is a critical factor affecting human health and welfare (Werkneh et al., 2015). Access to safe water is an important global public health concern. Improving access to safe drinking water can result in tangible benefits to health, can boost countries’ economic growth, and contribute greatly to poverty reduction (WHO, 2019). In many nations, the decline of quality of drinking water is a significant problem that may be caused by a variety of interrelated biological, physical, and chemical variables (Garoma et al., 2018). People living in flood-prone areas are faced with so many challenges such as poor sanitary systems; overflowing toilets, and poor drainage which affect their lives negatively. The primary pollutants in water sources include human excreta, animal waste, effluent agricultural practices, floods, and droughts as well as a lack of knowledge among end-users about hygiene and environmental cleanliness; storage and disposal must be taken in to account for the protection of water resources (Amenu et al., 2012, Meride and Ayenew, 2016). Children are more susceptible to microbiological pollutants due to their immature immune systems (WHO, 2019), and they also tend to consume more water than adults do compared to their body mass and are more exposed to pollutants in drinking water (EPA, 2015). These microorganisms are responsible for the spread of illnesses like cholera, dysentery, diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio (WHO, 2019). As a result, the majority of rural populations get their water from tainted or questionable sources, exposing them to a variety of water-borne ailments (Amenu et al., 2012, Meride and Ayenew, 2016). Even if the source is clean, the process of collecting, transporting, storing, and drawing water in the home can all lead to faecal contamination (Amenu et al., 2013a). Unless the water is made safe or treated for human consumption, it may be hazardous to health and transmit diseases.
According to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), unclean water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene are to blame for up to 80% of diseases, 3.1% of fatalities (1.7 million), and 3.7% of disability-adjusted life years (54.2 million) worldwide (WHO, 2006, Werkneh et al., 2015). Worldwide water borne diseases are the cause of death and suffering of millions of people, especially children in developing countries (Mulamattathil et al., 2015, WHO, 2006). In sub-Saharan Africa, over 275 million people rely on unsafe drinking water sources from lakes, rivers, and open wells. Consequently, many water-borne diseases are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality among children (Too et al., 2016). In Ethiopia, poor environmental health conditions resulting from subpar water quality and inadequate hygiene and sanitation standards are to blame for more than 60% of infectious infections (WHO, 2004b, Amenu et al., 2013a). This is the least of any country on the continent, with 80% of the rural and 20% of the urban population have no access to clean water. Children in the country suffer from communicable diseases caused by the environment, particularly poor water quality and sanitary conditions, which account for three-fourths of all child health issues (Amenu et al., 2013a, Meride and Ayenew, 2016). In rural locations where water sources are communally shared and exposed to several fecal-oral transmission channels in their local boundaries, bacterial contamination of drinking water is a primary cause of water-borne infections (Gwimbi et al., 2019). The contamination of the water can also be linked to the presence of pathogens such as fecal coliforms and Escherichia coli (Ladokun and Oni, 2015). They can therefore be viewed as a sign of fecal contamination and potentially declining water quality when found in drinking water. Frequent testing of fecal indicator organisms is still the most accurate method for determining the quality of water in Ethiopia (Berhanu and Hailu, 2015). Fecal Coli forms are so frequently employed to express the microbiological quality of water and as a measure to predict the risk of diarrheal illness as a result of consuming fecally polluted water. They have been seen as a sign of fecal contamination. As a result, this research will assist them in evaluating the drinking water quality and related aspects in northwest Ethiopia's flood-prone districts.