Detection of Coliform Bacteria in Drinking Water Supply of Shimla City

Abstract

Shimla is a famous tourist destination of the state hosting millions of tourists (both domestic and international) every year. The civic infrastructure requirements including the water demand of the town accelerated manifold being the capital city and the concentration of large scale tourist infrastructure. Providing potable drinking water supply to its inhabitants and the floating population remains a major challenge for the irrigation and Public Health department and the Municipal Corporation which are charged with the responsibility of supplying water to the town. Water is supplied to Shimla town from various sources like Dhalli Catchment Area, Cherot Nallah, Jagroti Nallah, Chair Nallah, Gumma Khad and Ashwani Khad. Our study focuses on the analysis of the water quality at two important sources of water supplying water to the Shimla town. We have collected sample from Ashwani Khad and Cherot Nallah in summer and winter seasons respectively. In this study, we detected and validated the presence of coliform bacteria. These strains were characterized using morphological and biochemical methods. We detected the presence of Salmonella typhi in the Ashwani Khad sample in both seasons. We also detected E.coli in Cherot Nallah water. Quality of water was further asserted by doing the physical characterization of water. The prime purpose of our study is to quantitate the coliform bacteria as a potential indicator of presence of human pathogens in the drinking water. We also intend to find out the potential of water for human consumption and to suggest the authorities for improving the water treatment process