The drinking water project supplies water to about 200 families in wards 6 and 7.
KAILALI, July 24: A test conducted in a laboratory of the Federal Drinking Water Supply and Waste Management Project at Dhangadhi has found the presence of E coli bacteria in the drinking water supplied to the people living in eastern areas of Tikapur Municipality.
The municipality had conducted the test after collecting samples from 12 different water sources.
Kamal Bahadur Rawal of the municipality said that the test found four types of disease-causing pathogens. According to Rawal, two samples collected from personal drinking water source and two from community water source were found infected.
E. coli found in drinking water
Rawal told Republica that the bacteria were found in water supplied by Narayanpur Drinking Water Project and at drinking water source of Seti Maiya Secondary School.
As per the test report of the laboratory, 77 percent of water supplied by the project were infested with bacteria while the test found one percent bacteria in the school's hand pumps.
The drinking water project supplies water to about 200 families in wards 6 and 7. After the bacteria were detected in the water supplied by the project, the public health promotion department of the municipality has warned of adverse effects of unsafe drinking water on community health.
Chairperson of the drinking water project, Chiranjivi Khanal, said that the presence of bacteria in boring water demands further investigation.
“We are planning to test the water sources repeatedly in order to confirm the presence of bacteria in the sources. We had started to install filter machines in the area before the test confirmed the presence of bacteria that are found in feces,” said khanal.
Likewise, the report also found the presence of bacteria in hand pump water in one of the schools located in Tikapur Municipality-9, Suryapur. With 400 students regularly drinking water from the 20 ft deep water pump, the issue has highly impacted the health of school students.
“These are only sample tests from where the bacteria were found. There may be fecal bacteria in drinking water sources of many households in the area which are yet to be tested,” said Rawal.
Although article 44 of the constitution ensures the right to safe drinking water for people, they are compelled to drink unsafe water. Chairperson of the Consumers Welfare Protection Forum, Tikapur, Ekindra Timalsina, stated that the forum has demanded effective measures to ensure safe drinking water.
Health experts have warned of long-term health hazards including diarrhea, typhoid, jaundice, etc due to the consumption of bacteria-infested water. The water can only be drinkable through filtering, boiling and treatment using medicines.
