E coli found in water coolers at eight railway stations, CAG reports

A Comptroller and Auditor General report has found E coli in water coolers at eight Indian railway stations. The stations are Coimbatore and Palakkad junctions (Southern Railway), Hyderabad (South Central Railway), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Bhiwandi Road, Kalyan, and Lonavala (Central Railway), and Madhupur (Eastern Railway). The report, presented in Parliament last week, also said water samples from taps at 49 stations in eight zones in 2022-23 and 56 stations in nine zones in 2023-24 showed coliform bacteria presence. India Today notes E coli indicates faecal contamination and can cause illness from diarrhoea to serious complications.

The audit of 512 non-suburban stations found 458 deficient in minimum essential amenities. Major stations like CSMT, Howrah, Sealdah, New Delhi, and Mumbai Central lacked seating, sanitary facilities, dustbins, and electronic train indicator boards, the Times of India reports. Gaps against norms included shortages of toilets at 201 stations, urinals at 403, and water taps at 2,035 stations. Indian Railways operates over 7,424 non-suburban passenger trains daily, carrying around 292.4 crore passengers in 2023-24.

Following the report, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw held a daylong review and ordered immediate corrective steps. The ministry will install a new 'tank-to-tap' filtration system at around 20,000 locations. Measures include water tank replacement, regular testing at source and outlet points, centralised monitoring, and scheduled cleaning. The CAG has recommended strict adherence to the Uniform Drinking Water Quality Protocol for testing.