Assessment of Bacterial Pollution Levels in the Coasts of Aden – Gulf of Aden, Yemen

The coasts of the city of Aden are experiencing significant environmental damage that impacts marine life and human health. The coastal waters receive the majority of household wastewater, which is discharged directly without adequate treatment or is not treated before reaching the city’s beaches. The study revealed spatial and temporal variations in the physical, chemical, and microbiological characteristics of the examined waters. It also indicated that the discharge of sewage, industrial waste, and other human activities affected these characteristics. Temperature, pH, salinity, Total Coliform (TC), and Fecal Coliform (FC) levels at the study stations were higher in summer than in winter. Water temperature ranged from 26.30 to 33.00 °C, and the waters off the shores of Aden were slightly alkaline, with a pH of 7.85 - 8.29 and salinity values of 36.50 - 38.40 parts per thousand. The highest total coliform count was recorded at stations 5 and 6, with averages of 1197 and 1119 colonies/100 ml, respectively, while the lowest total coliform count was observed at station 8 (the reference station) with an average of 60 colonies/100 ml. The fecal coliform counts ranged from 0 to 370 colonies/100 ml. According to European standards for recreational marine waters (TC <500/100 ml, FC <100/100 ml), the microbiological results for stations 7, 5, 2, and 1 exceeded the permissible limits, while stations 8, 3, 6, and 4 recorded lower pollution rates and remained within the permissible limits.