ABSTRACT
Coliforms are a group of bacteria, usually found around the environment, in water bodies, the soil, as well as in the intestine of warm blooded animals especially humans, serves as an indicator of water quality and food safety, their presence in certain environments (such as rivers, wells, reservoirs and the likes) can indicate potential health risks to individuals that use them for basic domestic necessities such as, cooking, drinking amongst others. Three different water sources from various locations in Benin city were sampled, well water from Irhirhi community, river water from Ikpoba river, reservoir water from Ekosodin community. The experimental methodologies used includes, membrane filtration, culturing, colony counts, differential test and biochemical tests. Organisms identified were Enterobacter aerogenes, Klebsiella oxytoca, Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens. The mean coliform count obtained from the samples varied across the different water samples ranging from 1.15cfu/100ml to 2.30cfu/100ml, with the reservoir having the highest mean count (2.30cfu/100ml), followed by Ikpoba River (1.28cfu/100 ml) and then well water (1.15cfu/100ml). The high coliform count found in the reservoir water could be as a result of stagnation and slower flow rates, the source of water stored in the reservoir, longer retention time of reservoir allowing the bacteria more time to multiply. According to WHO standard the three sampled areas are considered unsafe for consumption. Therefore appropriate hygienic proceedures such as proper sanitation, chlorination where suitable, laws against disposal of company effluents in open water bodies should be ensured in these locations.
