Multiple Tube Fermentation technique8 was used to detect total coliform bacteria which are used as indicator of
fecal contamination. The test was performed sequentially in three stages: i. Presumptive coliform test,
ii. Confirmed coliform test, iii. Completed coliform test.
In the membrane filter method for fecal coliform, water sample was passed through a thin sterile membrane
filter paper (pore size 0.45μm) which was kept in a special filter apparatus contained in a suction flask. The
filter disc that contains the trapped microorganisms was aseptically transferred to a sterile petri dish having an
M7hr-FC agar medium and the colonies were allowed to develop. This method enables a large volume of water
to be tested more economically8.