Water can dissolve many minerals or chemicals and transport microbiological contaminants. The Standard Drinking Water Test has been created to detect chemical and microbiological contaminants. The Standard Drinking Water Test has two components: Microbiological test and chemical quality test.

Microbiological tests: The microbiological test will identify total coliforms (a type of bacteria) and faecal coliforms in drinking water. The total coliform test will show the total bacterial loading found in the water sample. The faecal coliform test will indicate the level of faecal contamination in the water and how safe the water is to drink.

Chemical quality tests: The chemical quality test is made up of a range of chemical elements and compounds. Some of the elements are heavy metals that may pose a risk to your health while others may only affect the taste, odour and appearance of the water (These are called ‘aesthetic’ characteristics).

Source: NCERT