70% water samples near abandoned Union Carbide factory in Bhopal found contaminated
Bhopal gas survivors’ groups claimed 70% of drinking water samples near the abandoned Union Carbide factory tested positive for faecal coliform contamination.
Around 70% of drinking water samples collected from localities around the abandoned Union Carbide factory in Bhopal tested positive for faecal coliform, indicating contamination, Bhopal gas survivors’ organisations said on Friday.
Survivors’ organisations alleged contaminated tap water around the Union Carbide site, with 43 of 63 samples testing positive for faecal coliform. (HT File Photo)
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The organisations alleged that the situation is creating risks similar to those in Bhagirathpura in Indore after four groups of Bhopal gas survivors conducted tests following complaints from residents about receiving contaminated tap water.
Around 63 samples were tested from taps in 30 communities this month, and contamination was confirmed in 43 of them, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha president Nawab Khan said, adding that 90% of samples from the Upper Lake supply and 25% from the Kolar dam supply were found contaminated.
“Residents living near the abandoned factory are suffering from diarrhea, vomiting, and typhoid,” he said.
In 2004, the Supreme Court had acknowledged groundwater contamination from hazardous waste dumped at the Union Carbide site and ordered piped drinking water to protect residents. “Now even that supply is contaminated,” said Rashida Bee, president of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh.
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The organisations pointed out that in August 2018, the Supreme Court had directed the Bhopal Municipal Corporation to lay sewage lines and ensure proper drainage after complaints of faecal contamination. They alleged that the corporation had promised to complete the work in three months but had not acted in eight years.
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The organisations pointed out that in August 2018, the Supreme Court had directed the Bhopal Municipal Corporation to lay sewage lines and ensure proper drainage after complaints of faecal contamination. They alleged that the corporation had promised to complete the work in three months but had not acted in eight years.
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Bhopal Group for Information and Action convener Rachna Dhingra demanded strict action against officials responsible. “There must be time-bound implementation of sewage and drainage plans and independent monitoring of drinking water quality,” she said.
After repeated attempts, BMC commissioner Sanskriti Jain could not be contacted for comment. Additional commissioner of the water works department, Tanmay Vashishth Sharma, declined to comment, stating he was on leave.
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.
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