Drinking Water Quality (fecal contamination, point of use)

% of households whose drinking water contains 0 fecal coliforms per 100 ml sample

The indicator assesses the presence of fecal coliforms in drinking water that was brought to the household. The presence of these harmful bacteria shows that the water has been contaminated by animal or human faeces.

1) Consult your WASH advisor and/or relevant WASH authorities on locally available, validated methods for testing the presence of fecal coliforms (e.g. a certified laboratory). Ensure data collection is carried out by trained personnel using professional, sterile equipment to avoid contamination and ensure accuracy.

 

2) Ensure that the water samples are collected from a representative sample of households, specifically from the water that household members use for drinking (point of use).

 

3) Before collecting samples for fecal coliforms, always test for the presence of Free Residual Chlorine (FRC) using appropriate field test kits. If FRC is detected above 0.1 mg/L, do not proceed with fecal coliform testing for that sample, as chlorine will inactivate the bacteria and lead to a false "safe" reading. Record the FRC result.

4) Follow testing instructions strictly. Caution: Testing results can be misleading or incorrect if protocols are not adhered to. Ideally, testing should be conducted by or validated through a certified laboratory or by personnel with demonstrated competency in field water quality analysis.

5) To calculate the indicator's value, divide the number of households whose drinking water contains 0 fecal coliforms per 100 ml sample by the total number of assessed households. Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.

Disaggregate the data by wealth and other relevant criteria. 

1) Be aware that collecting and analysing water samples from a representative number of households is likely to be quite time-consuming and costly. 

 

2) In acute emergencies it is often challenging to reach the standard of "no faecal coliforms per 100ml of water". Therefore, consult with the WASH cluster the possibility of changing your indicator to "... less than 10 faecal coliforms ...", reflecting the following thresholds described in UNHCR's Emergency Field Handbook: 

  > 0–10 faecal coliforms/100 ml = reasonable quality

  > 10–100 faecal coliforms/100 ml = polluted

  > 100–1,000 faecal coliforms/100 ml = dangerous

  > 1,000 faecal coliforms/100 ml = very dangerous

 

3) BHA phrases the indicator slightly differently, as "percent of households whose drinking water supplies have 0 fecal coliforms per 100 ml sample".