Effect of moringa seed powder on well water quality in Sabu Raijua District, East Nusa Tenggara

Abstract Communities in several areas of Sabu Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province, face challenges in accessing sanitation water every year. During the dry season, these regions experience severe water shortages. Besides the quantity issue, water quality also poses a significant problem during summer. To address these challenges, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of moringa seed powder, applied at different concentrations, in improving the physical, chemical, and microbiological quality of sanitation water. A Completely Randomized Design was employed, comprising three treatments with moringa seed powder concentrations of 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%, along with a control group without moringa seed powder. Each treatment was replicated three times. Water samples were collected from two wells located at 10 meters and 5 kilometers from the coastline, respectively, with three bottles of water taken from each well. The parameters measured included pH, temperature, total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC), nitrate, nitrite, hardness, coliform, and fecal coliform levels. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA at a 5% significance level. The results demonstrated a reduction in all physical, chemical, and microbiological parameters, except for nitrite levels in Well 1. The highest percentage reduction (>98%) in coliform levels was observed with the 1.5% moringa seed powder treatment, while the lowest reduction (0%) was seen in nitrite levels with the 0.5% treatment. Variance analysis indicated that moringa seed powder at different concentrations significantly affected the physical, chemical, and microbiological parameters. This study highlights the potential practical application of moringa seed powder as a natural treatment to enhance well water quality, making it suitable for household use.