Detection and Enumeration of Coliforms in Drinking Water Sources in the Selected Barangay in Santa Maria, Davao Occidental Philippines

The study aimed to determine the presence of fecal and nonfecal coliforms in selected drinking water sources of Santa Maria, Davao Occidental. Three (3) barangays were purposively identified as sampling sites, namely: Barangay Pongpong, Barangay San Isidro, and Barangay San Roque, where spring water, Jetmatic, and manual water pump are the sources of drinking water.

The study was conducted at Sta Maria, Davao Occidental Philippines from August 2021 to December 2021.The water samples were collected aseptically from the identified reservoir in the drinking water of the selected barangay of Sta Maria, Davao Occidental. The collected samples were brought to the SPAMAST Microbiology Laboratory. One (1) mL of sample was plated aseptically in the coliform Petrifilm. The plated water samples were incubated at 35-37 degrees Celcius for 24 hours. Colonies in the Petrifilm were counted manually and recorded as colony-forming units (CFU).

Microbial analysis detected the presence of total coliforms on the drinking water reservoir from the spring water source from barangay Pongpong, manual water pump and spring water source from barangay San Isidro and the manual water pump from barangay San Roque. Meanwhile, noOccidental, Philippines. Generally, the drinking water sources of the three (3) barangays exceeded the national standard set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Periodic monitoring on the drinking water sources in the identified barangays is highly recommended.