Coliform bacteria are a commonly used bacterial indicator of sanitary quality of foods and water. They can be found in the aquatic environment, in soil and on vegetation; they are universally present in large numbers in the faeces of warm-blooded animals, and their presence is used to indicate that other pathogenic organisms of fecal origin may be present.
Therefore, after a campaign of new water points construction or for rehabilitation, Inter Aide is doing water analysis to confirm that the water is safe for drinking and that the improved water point will prevent people to be affected by water related diseases.
portable kits (such as DelAgua kits)[1]that allow simple and reliable measurements that can be done on site or in a local simple laboratory (clean dedicated room).
[1] Other devices than Del Agua kits can be used such as Potatest (Wagtech).
Picture of a Petri Dish culture with development of thermotolerant coliforms : what we want to avoid !
The following note in the link hereafter is the protocol Inter Aide is using to proceed to bacteriological tests.
www.interaide.org/pratiques/sites/default/files/ia_sierra_leone_water_tests_guidelines_2010.pdf 
