KATHMANDU, June 28: As per the study carried out by the National Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD), the cholera-causing bacterium E. coli has contaminated drinking water sources in Kathmandu. Dr Chuman Lal Das, Chief of EDCDC, states that among different water sources of the valley evaluated by the department, the bacteria were discovered in the water of Bagbazar, Dilli Bazaar, and Sanepa.

E. coli was discovered in five out of eight samples collected on Sunday said, Dr Das. According to the report, the cholera-and-diarrhea-causing bacteria were found in all the samples. Although samples from Naikap, Thankot, and Balkhu have been examined, results have not yet been released. Chief Das  says, “15 percent of the water in the Kathmandu Valley has been contaminated.” Likewise, as of Sunday, cholera has been confirmed in 12 people in the valley. While eight of them have been treated, four are undergoing treatment.  

Old sewer lines have ruptured in certain areas of the valley, and groundwater has been discovered to be polluted even by excrement. Dr Das predicts the water contamination will remain until next August.

Following the possibility of low-quality drinking water production, Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL)’s Food and Quality Control Department and others are intensifying the monitoring and testing of the concerned companies. KUKL has made it obligatory to add chlorine to water before they are distributed. Das informed that the company has made arrangements to add chlorine to the water sources whose water is distributed to households. 

He advised people to use chlorine-treated extracted water and to only drink water that is boiled as the wells and boreholes of some households had become contaminated. “For three months, everyone should consume boiled water. The water in the valley appears to be dangerous in all areas, ” he remarked.

 
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