A team of bacteriologists from the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and Central Department of Microbiology (CDM) tested 114 water samples from stone spouts, taps and tube wells which revealed the coliform in 90.35 percent.
The presence of pathogenic enteric bacteria in different sources of water across the region, including the capital Kathmandu, was also detected in a separate study conducted by Tista Prasai of NAST, Binod Lehhak and Dev Joshi of CDM and Madhav Prasad Baral of the National School of Sciences.
The joint study confirmed that 94.2 percent of the samples were positive of coliform count and surpassed the WHO guidelines for drinking water, according to a report by Xinhua News.
Meanwhile, Urban Water and Sanitation executive director Prakash Amatya said the bacteriological pollution may be due to failure to disinfect water at treatment plants or inflow of sewage into the leakage points or connections.
Public warning on the possibility of waterborne epidemics in the region has also been raised. Drinking contaminated water causes cholera, jaundice, food poisoning, diarrhea and typhoid.
The latest statistics showed that some 13,000 Nepali children, particularly those in remote areas, die annually due to drinking contaminated water.
