CAG flags E. coli bacteria in drinking water at stations, cites violation of Railway Board norms

A CAG audit found E. coli in drinking water samples at eight railway stations and widespread deficiencies in passenger amenities. More than 89 per cent of 512 inspected stations lacked minimum essential facilities, while sanitation shortcomings and inadequate water testing raised concerns

New Delhi: E coli bacteria has been found in drinking water samples picked up from water coolers at several railway stations, a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General has said.

Unhygienic conditions were also found in railway washrooms, the auditor said.

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“Water sample from water cooler was positive for E.coli at two stations (Coimbatore and Palakkad Junctions) in SR (Southern Railway), one station (Hyderabad) in SCR (South Central Railway), four stations (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Bhiwandi Road, Kalyan and Lonavala) in CR (Central Railway) and one station (Madhupur) in ER (Eastern Railway),” the report which studied passenger services at 512 non-suburban grade stations across all zones said.

“Test results of drinking water samples collected from taps in platforms at 49 stations in eight zones during 2022-23 and 56 stations in 9 zones during 2023-24 indicated presence of Total coliforms bacteria (including E-coli),” the report stated.

Some strains of E.coli bacteria can lead to food poisoning, diarrhoea and kidney failure.

The audit found bacteriological tests, other than total coliforms, to be unsatisfactory at eight stations in four zones during 2022-23 and 11 stations in five zones during 2023-24.

The CAG said the report covered instances identified during its 2019-20 to 2023-24 test audit, along with earlier cases not reported previously and, wherever necessary, instances from after 2023-24 as well.

According to the report, there are 5,908 railway stations under the Non-Suburban Group (NSG), and Indian Railways operated over 7,424 passenger trains (non-suburban) daily and carried 292.4 crore non-suburban passengers in 2023-24.

Outlining the purpose of the detailed inspection, the CAG said the Railway Board had issued various guidelines for the provision of passenger amenities at stations and that an audit was conducted to assess whether Indian Railways’ efforts to ensure the provision of passenger amenities and sanitation at stations yielded the intended benefits.

The audit found that 458 out of the 512 selected stations, accounting for more than 89 per cent, were deficient in the provision of Minimum Essential Amenities (MEA).

It said that at these 458 stations, MEAs were either not provided at all or were available below the prescribed norms.

“In April 2018, RB (Railway Board) issued comprehensive instructions prescribing Minimum Essential Amenities (MEA), Recommended Amenities (RA) and Desirable Amenities (DA) for stations categorised as NSG 1 to NSG 6. RB stipulated that MEAs were to be ensured at all stations by 31 August 2018,” the report said.

“RB’s instructions (April 2018) mandated that MEAs be provided first at all stations, irrespective of category. These include drinking water, waiting halls, seating arrangements, platform shelters, urinals, latrines, high-level platforms, fans, Foot Over Bridges (FOBs), dustbins, clocks and public address systems,” it added.

It found even stations like CSMT, Howrah, Sealdah, New Delhi and Mumbai Central, which come under the NSG-1 category, deficient in seating arrangements, sanitary facilities (urinals and latrines), dustbins and electronic train indicator boards, among others.

“Audit scrutiny of NSG-1 category stations revealed deficiencies in core passenger amenities, including drinking water taps (12 stations), fans and water coolers (eight stations each) and signage (five stations),” the report said.

The report, after analysing the Passenger Amenities Management System, found deficiencies in the provision of amenities against MEA norms, such as a shortfall of latrines at 201 stations, urinals at 403 stations and water taps at 2,035 stations, among others.

Among its major recommendations, the CAG urged the Railways to “ensure compliance with prescribed protocols for inspection of water supply systems and comprehensive testing of drinking water quality, including all parameters under the Uniform Drinking Water Quality Protocol.”