Microbial indicators of coastal water in Velipoja beach, Albania

• Pages: 48-53

Vol. 9 No. 3

November, 2023

Academic Journal of Business, Administration

Law and Social Sciences

48

E-ISSN 2410-8693

ISSN 2410-3918

Microbial indicators of coastal water in Velipoja beach, Albania

Hajrije Dibra

Water Study Center for Shkodra Region, Faculty of Natural Sciences,

University of Shkodra, Albania

Nevila Bushati

Water Study Center for Shkodra Region, Faculty of Natural Sciences,

University of Shkodra, Albania

DOI: hps://doi.org/10.2478/ajbals-2023-0009

Abstract

The Albanian coastline is about 450 km long, with wide access to the Adriatic and Ionian seas.

It has become popular in recent years for its many unexplored rocky and sandy beaches, crystal

waters, curative sand rich in iodine, which has given a great impact in tourism and economy.

Velipoja beach is located on the northwest of Adriatic Sea. Coastal waters of Velipoja are

used for bathing, shing and tourism, but in recent years these waters are exposed to various

sources of pollution, which are related to restaurants and agricultural activities, wastewater

discharge, etc. The quality of coastal water in Albania is particularly analysed by the Public

Health Institution. It was considered reasonable to monitor the microbiological quality of

coastal waters on Velipoja beach through microbiological parameters during summer season.

Evaluations of the results were done based on Directive 2006/7/EC for inland waters, coastal

and transitional waters. Seawater samples were tested mainly for E. coli, E. faecalis, S. faecalis,

heterotrophs in accordance with European Standards using the membrane ltration method.

Water samples were taken monthly from May-September 2023.

Based on the data received, during the monitoring period the bacterial concentration for E.

faecalis varied from 0 CFU /100 ml to 228 CFU/100 ml. The concentration for S. faecalis varied

from 0 CFU /100 ml to 128 CFU/100 ml. The concentration for E. coli varied from 0 CFU /100

ml to 134 CFU/100ml. Velipoja Center has the highest concentration of E. coli, E. faecalis. The

concentration of bacteria increases during the months of July and August, probably due to the

large number of tourists visiting Velipoja beach during this period. According to Directive

2006/7/EC of the European Parliament, the quality of coastal waters of Velipoja during the

period of investigation for E. coli is in the category “Excellent quality”.

Monitoring for the presence of pathogen bacteria are essential water quality assessment, which

directly or indirectly leads to serious problems to human health. Enterococcus faecalis is an

Research Article

© 2023 Hajrije Dibra & Nevila Bushati

This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons

Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)