A study has found that only half of the railways’ 541 water chlorination plants in the northern zone – comprising New Delhi, Punjab, parts of Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh are working.
The railways has admitted that drinking water supplied by it on platforms is contaminated with bacteria found in human waste. The Thermotolerant Coliform Bacteria (TCB) can cause acute gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, dysentery, and tummy cramps.
The study conducted by the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organization (CPHEEO) and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) revealed that the process of chlorination, which is necessary to kill harmful bacteria, is not being done at Delhi, Ghaziabad, Varanasi and Ambala water supply units.
TCB count in 2013 and 2015 indicated bacterial presence ranging from 12% to 40% in many places. The Indian Railways Medical Manual (IRMM) says the presence of 10 units of TCB in a 100ml water sample is permissible. But, the Uniform Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Protocol (UDWQMP) does not permit the presence of even one unit of TCB.
The contaminated water can cause life-threatening conditions for children, elderly and people who have weak immune system.
