Drinking Water Quality (fecal contamination, water point level)

The indicator assesses the presence of fecal coliforms in water at the water collection level. 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 methods for testing the presence of fecal coliforms.

2) Ensure that the water samples are collected from all targeted water points. 

3) Calculate the indicator's value by dividing the number of targeted water points with 0 fecal coliforms per 100 ml sample by the total number of assessed water points and multiplying the result by 100. 

1) This indicator is one of the most frequent indicators used in the emergency context for assessing water quality. Water supply interventions operating in the development context frequently use a range of other biological, chemical and physical aspects of drinking water quality required by the national standards or recommended by WHO's international Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality (see below). If you operate in a development context, consult your WASH advisor and local authorities to identify the most relevant standards and adjust this indicator accordingly. 

2) Both in the development and emergency context, it is equally important to assess whether regular water quality controls take place and whether the controls' findings are used for improving the water quality.