REPORT II

DETERMINATION OF THE SOURCE OF FECAL POLLUTION OF WASTE WATER

TAKEN AT MLALAKUWA RIVER, THE FECAL COLIFORM, TOTAL COLIFORM
AND FECAL STREPTOCOCCI.
MAIN OBJECTIVE OF AN EXPERIMRNT
Determination the FC/FS ratio and establishment of the source of pollution
INTRODUCTION
Selective media is the media that influence growth of certain bacteria by which it contains
nutrients which favour the growth of specific species or group of bacteria like total coli forms,
fecal coliforms, and fecal streptococci. Example are EMB(Eosin methylene blue),endo media for
determination of total cloliform(TC),clostridium perfringens media for determination of fecal
streptococci(FS)
Differential media or non selective media is the media which influence growth of any bacteria by
which it contains nutrients which favor growth of any microbe for example both total
coliform,fecal coli form and fecal streptococci. Examples of non-selective media is nutrient agar
SOURCE OF SAMPLE
A sample was taken at Mlalakuwa River through a beaker
METHOD USED:
Spread plate method: in this method culture media or growth media was spread slowly to the
membrane filter in the Petri dish to make sure each microbial cell gets food hence to grow at
the same rate when incubated.
MATERIALS USED DURING CONDUCTION OF AN EXPERIMENT.
Funnel
Vacuum pump
Petri dishes
Alcohol for sterilization

Absorbent pads
Membrane filter and hidda
Incubator
Hand toll counter
Sterile distilled water
PROCEDURE OF THE EXPERIMENT
i) i) Sterilization
Before the experiment had been carried out sterilization had to be conducted including both
apparatus /equipments used and this process included the use of auto clave to sterilize equipments.
ii) Disinfection
alcohol was one of the disinfectant used during this experiment, the solution of disinfectant was
put in a beaker and some of it was used to disinfect bench where practical was to be conducted
also solution alcohol was used too in disinfecting hands ready for conducting experiment.
iii) Preparation of dilution factor for waste water
100ml of distilled water was measured using measuring cylinder and put into a beaker then 1ml
waste water was put into distilled water in order to be diluted ready for filtration process.
iv) Filtration of diluted waste water.
Sample of waste water was poured into the funnel of vacuum pump and filtered till waste water
was completely finished and microbes were trapped at the membrane filter.
v) Removing of membrane filter.
Membrane filter was removed from the vacuum pump funnel using hand toll and kept into petri
dishes that consisted with media (agar) and this process was done for both three samples
vi) Incubation

Petri dishes consisted of samples were kept in the incubator for FC membrane filter set at
temperature of 44oc and left for 24 hours and FS are incubated for four hours at 37oc followed by
44 hours at 44oc for growth of bacteria in the media.
TABLE OF RESULTS
Bacteria No. Of
bacteria
FC

40

Dilution Units
media

Total

colour

factor
102

Count/100mill 40x102=4000 Blue

black

TC

53

102

Count/100mill 53x102=5300 red

FS

48

102

Count/100mill 48x102=4800 yellow

CALCULATION OF THE FACTOR RATIO

FC/FS = 40/48
= 0.83
Then 0.7FC/FS1
Since the answer obeys the condition above then; source of pollution in water is the predominance
of animals wastes in mixed pollution.
CONCLUSION
From the results obtained then water is then polluted as stated above and hence the source of water
at mlalakuwa river are not sweet able for drinking and swimming too.
It has been observed that there are many different bacteria in the waste water sample tested,
hence gives us identification that there are presence of both fecal coliform, total coliform and
fecal streptococci at Mlalakuwa River which have negative effects when contaminated to human
bodies such as cholera diarrhea, and skin diseases. The FC/FS ratio helped to establish that there
is predominance of domestic waste in a mixed pollution at Mlalakuwa River. The generally the
waste water present at mlalakuwa river can likely cause health hazards when used for drinking or
swimming. Effective treatment had to be practiced