E coli, coliform found in drinking water supplied in Kathmandu Valley

Water utility urges local governments to help control pig and duck farming in and around water sources
- Arjun Poudel, Kathmandu
Mar 11, 2019

E coli and coliform have been found in drinking water supplied by the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited to household taps in some areas of the Valley. Doctors say both the microbes are found in human faeces and cause diarrhoeal infection.

The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division of the Department of Health Services, which conducts quality checks of drinking water on a regular basis across the country, said it had alerted the KUKL about the presence of the deadly microbes in drinking water. “Finding these microbes in drinking water supplied to households in the dry season is alarming,” Shambhu Gyawali, chief of the surveillance and research section at the division, told the Post. “We have written a formal letter to the KUKL, updating them on the situation and urging them to ensure safe water to households.”