# CAG audit finds E. coli in railway water, 89% stations lack amenities 2026-08-16T06:43:38+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets A CAG audit has found E. coli bacteria in drinking water samples from water coolers at eight railway stations, including CSMT, Hyderabad and Coimbatore. The report, covering 512 non-suburban stations, also found unhygienic conditions in washrooms. Some strains of E. coli can cause food poisoning and kidney failure. The audit revealed that 89% of the stations were deficient in Minimum Essential Amenities. Fans were missing at 42% of stations, water coolers at 40%, and urinals at 22%. Even major terminals like New Delhi and Howrah lacked seating and sanitary facilities. Over five years, Rs 11,479 crore in allocated funds remained unutilised, with Rs 5,956 crore unused in 2023-24 alone. The CAG has recommended that Railways ensure compliance with water quality testing protocols and address the amenity gaps. The report covered instances from 2019-20 to 2023-24. ## Coverage - timesnownews.com - thehindubusinessline.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-16T07:16:18+00:00. Tags: CAG, Coimbatore, CSMT, Hyderabad, Indian Railways Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/cag-89-of-stations-deficient-in-basic-amenities-e-coli-found/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/cag-89-of-stations-deficient-in-basic-amenities-e-coli-found/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/