2 weeks ago

Railways order filtration at 20,000 locations after E. coli report

Railways order filtration at 20,000 locations after E. coli report
E. coli found in station drinking water; Railways orders filtration systems at 20,000 locations · indianexpress.com

A government watchdog called the CAG found tiny germs called E. coli in the drinking water at some railway stations in India.

E. coli germs can make people sick, and finding them in water is a sign that sewage or animal waste may have gotten into it.

The people in charge of the trains, called the Railways, wanted to fix this problem quickly.

The Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, held a big meeting and told workers to take immediate action.

They plan to install new water filters, called a 'Tank to Tap' system, at about 20,000 places, including water coolers.

They will also replace old water tanks and test the water regularly to make sure it is clean.

The CAG checked more than 500 stations and found that many were missing basic things like clean toilets and fans.

The railways promised to check water quality at the top level and publish reports so everyone can see the progress.

Some people worry that past repair work was often delayed, so the new plan must be carried out properly.

If it works, train passengers will have safer drinking water and better facilities at stations.

Key facts

Trigger
CAG report 'Passenger Amenities and Sanitation at Non-Suburban Railway Stations in Indian Railways'
Contamination found
Total coliform bacteria including E. coli in platform tap water at 49 stations (2022-23) and 56 stations (2023-24)
Key measure
'Tank to Tap' water filtration and monitoring system
Locations
Around 20,000 locations, including water coolers
Other measures
Replacing water tanks, regular testing at source and outlet points, scheduled cleaning of storage tanks, centralized Board-level monitoring
Minister
Ashwini Vaishnaw
Audit findings
458 of 512 stations (over 89%) deficient in minimum essential amenities; 59% of 395 amenity works delayed

Quotes

Senior railway official

Official in the Ministry of Railways

“From now onwards, the water quality of stations will be monitored at the board level. There will be scheduled cleaning and maintenance of storage tanks. Progress and water quality reports will be published periodically to ensure transparency.”
indianexpress.com
“Inspection of the water supply systems was not carried out as per prescribed periodicity. There was a shortfall in testing of drinking water for residual chlorine, bacteriological analysis and chemical analysis.”
indianexpress.com

Sources

Related news