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Access to safe drinking water is crucial for human health, but many regions struggle with water scarcity and contamination. In the Limat area, these issues have led to significant health concerns, prompting the evaluation of the available water sources. This study aimed to assess the quality of Kulfo River water for domestic use. Water samples were collected from three sites during the dry and wet seasons of 2022 and analyzed according to APHA (2017) standards. The water suitability for drinking was determined using the CCME water quality index (WQI). While most parameters were within WHO and Ethiopian standards, significant deviations in turbidity were observed, ranging from 25.5 ± 3.54 to 88.2 ± 5.94 NTU, exceeding the 5 NTU limit. Total coliform ranged from 337.5 ± 17.68 to 1275 ± 388.09 counts/100 mL, and fecal coliform ranged from 212.5 ± 17.68 to 1225 ± 106.07 counts/100 mL, both far above acceptable limits. This contamination, likely from sanitation activities, animal waste, and agricultural runoff, suggests that while some parameters are acceptable, high turbidity and coliform levels make water unsafe for domestic use without treatment. Considerable treatment and pollution control are essential to ensure the safety of water.

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  • Water quality assessment: The Kulfo River was evaluated for domestic use with samples from the dry and wet seasons in 2022.

  • High turbidity: Turbidity (25.5–88.2 NTU) and coliforms (212.5–1,275/100 mL) exceed WHO standards.

  • Microbial risk: Site 1 was classified as fair (WQI: 68.37), and sites 2 and 3 as marginal.

  • Treatment needed: Significant treatment is required for domestic use, along with better pollution monitoring in the Limat area.

CCME water quality index, domestic water use, Kulfo River, physicochemical parameters, total and fecal coliforms, water quality assessment
© 2025 The Authors
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits copying, adaptation and redistribution for non-commercial purposes, provided the original work is properly cited (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).