Coliform confirmed in 17 of 40 water samples in Kavre

Banepa, July 26:  The drinking water used by local residents at various local levels in Kavrepalanchok district has been found to be contaminated with coliform. 

After the onset of the monsoon, the number of patients with water-borne diseases has increased in the district. When the health office Kavre tested the drinking water in various places in the district, it was found contaminated in most of the places. In urban areas, the water was especially polluted. 

As the number of diarrhoea patients increased in the district, the office tested the drinking water in Banepa Municipality, Dhulikhel, Panauti and Namobuddha municipalities, Mahabharat Rural Municipality, Khanikhola Rural Municipality, and Temal Rural Municipality from June 26. The office collected water samples from springs, tanks, streams, and taps used by consumers and tested six different substances in the water.

The turbidity of water, temperature, alkalinity and acidity, the current condition of water, the amount of chlorine in water, bacteria (faecal coliform-Ecoli) were tested, informed Purushottama Raj Sedai, senior health administrator of the office. He said that after testing 40 water samples from different local levels in the district, 17 samples were found to contain E. coli (Escherichia coli).

Dr. Sedhai said that after the testing, its reports were sent to the local levels with polluted water and they were advised to drink purified water, to pay attention to cleanliness and to boil the water before drinking.

He said that the team from the office was going to the places with polluted water to launch an awareness programme. He added that when the same water was tested repeatedly, the water found contaminated at one time was not found so in the next test. The office has been collecting and testing water samples from various places, such as the police posts, schools, etc., which are frequented by many people.

Looking at the statistics of the office, it is found that the number of patients with water-borne diseases has increased in the district compared with the year before, with 1834 diarrhoea patients being found till the end of May. Of these, 1036 were females and 798 males. Those figures for the year before were: 1,578 diarrhoea patients in all, including 828 females and 750 males. 

Dr. Sedhai said that jaundice and dehydration have increased in the district recently and that till the end of May, 90 people were found to have jaundice in the district.