11 brands of water banned after coliform detection

BY A STAFF REPORTER,Kathmandu, Sept. 30: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City has imposed a ban on the sale of 11 different brands of water after finding faecal coliform contamination. The KMC also fined each brand Rs. 200,000. 

Issuing a press statement on Sunday, the metropolitan city informed that it collected 20 water samples from various places within the city between August 28 and September 13. Additionally, it also collected one more sample after receiving complaints from consumers and sent all 21 samples to the Kathmandu Valley Drinking Water Limited Laboratory for testing. 

Out of the 21 samples tested, 11 showed faecal coliform contamination. The testing revealed that the colony-forming units (CFU) per 100 millilitres exceeded acceptable standards. The CFU unit is used to assess the presence of microorganisms.

According to mandatory quality standards for food products, processed drinking water must have zero coliform levels. 

The presence of faecal coliform indicates contamination, making the water unfit for consumption.

The testing results showed that 11 water brands including Fresh Drop, Aqua Peace, Aqua Tokha, Aqua db and Aqua Moonlight contained faecal coliform levels exceeding the standards.

The metropolis instructed these brands to deposit their fines into the revenue account and submit reports of technical testing of their water samples at government laboratories. The metropolis informed that these brands could resume sales only after the report confirmed zero faecal coliform levels.