BAGLUNG: Tests conducted by the Baglung Provincial Public Health Office have found coliform bacteria, typically associated with fecal contamination, in numerous drinking water sources across the district.
According to the office, laboratory tests of water from 341 sources in all ten municipalities of the district detected coliform in 125 sources.
Jaimini Municipality recorded the highest contamination rate, with coliform found in 42 of the 106 sources tested, said lab technician Dilli Acharya of the Baglung Provincial Public Health Office. In Galkot Municipality, 40 of 91 tested sources were contaminated.
In Baglung Municipality, coliform was found in 4 of 24 tested sources; in Kathekhola Rural Municipality, 27 of 47; and in Badigad Rural Municipality, 10 of 68.
No coliform was detected in the five sources tested in Dhorpatan Municipality, while no testing was carried out in Nisikhola, Tamankhola, Tarakhola, and Bareng rural municipalities.
Acharya noted that contamination cases have increased compared to last year, when 103 sources tested positive for coliform. “This year it has risen to 125. We have been requested to expand testing, and we plan to increase the scope across all municipalities,” he said.
Dr. Kiran Tiwari, Medical Superintendent at Dhaulagiri Provincial Hospital, warned that drinking water contaminated with coliform can cause diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, jaundice, hepatitis B, urinary tract infections, septicemia, and dysentery. He advised that water from such sources should be boiled before consumption.
Jaimini Municipality Deputy Mayor Harihar Sharma said the municipality is working on cleaning and protecting water sources. He added that awareness campaigns will encourage residents to purify water before use and that the municipality has prepared a “WASH plan” to ensure safe drinking water access for citizens.
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