Sinor Ali 
University of New Hampshire
Major: Civil Engineering
Mentor: Dr. M. Robin Collins, UNH Department of Civil Engineering
The Presence or Absence of Coli-form/E-coli in the Waters of Accra, Ghana and the Surrounding Cities
Today’s water crisis is not an issue of scarcity, but of access to safe, usable sources. Every day, lack of access to clean water and sanitation kills thousands and leaves others with reduced quality of life; about twelve million people worldwide die each year from lack of safe drinking water, including three million from waterborne diseases (WHO, 2010). Escherichia coli (E-coli) are an emerging cause of waterborne illness. E-coli are types of fecal coli-form commonly found in the intestines of animals and humans. Coli-form is bacteria associated with human or animal waste. The presence of E-coli in water is an indication of water contaminates.
This study seeks to determine the presence or absence of E-coli and coli-form using the IDEXX Colilert E-coli and coli-form test. Water samples will be collected from the main water sources of Accra, Ghana in West Africa, to include water treatment facilities and taps and storage wells in residential and commercial areas. The goal of this project is to identify if contaminates exist in the city’s water system and if so, if contamination occurs at the main sources of the drinking water or at some other point through the pipes that transports the water.
