Ghaziabad: Tests carried out in the wake of last month’s water contamination deaths in Indore have indicated the presence of coliform in 26 samples collected from different areas of Ghaziabad, health officials said. The presence of coliform is a key indicator of sewage contamination and poses a risk to public health.Officials said water samples were collected from 320 locations across the district, including borewells, hand pumps, water coolers, schools, hospitals, household connections and residential storage tanks. While the contaminated samples account for about 8% of those tested, officials warned that even limited contamination can affect a large number of people.District surveillance officer Dr RK Gupta told TOI all 26 samples had been declared “unsafe for consumption”. The departments and agencies responsible for water supply in the affected areas have been instructed to take immediate corrective measures, including disinfection, pipeline repairs and protection of water sources.“The presence of coliform bacteria points to lapses in sanitation and possible seepage of sewage into drinking water pipelines or groundwater sources,” Gupta said.Areas where contamination was detected include Loni’s Rajiv Garden and Sangam Garden, Modinagar’s Begamabad and Devendrapuri and parts of Siddharth Vihar, Shastri Nagar, Nandgram, Vijay Nagar and Krishna Nagar. Samples from Jankpuri in Shalimar Garden, Pahladgarhi, Daulatpura and Kotgaon in Arya Nagar were also found to be contaminated, officials said.Following the findings, authorities have placed several vulnerable localities, particularly areas that have reported cases of water-borne diseases in recent months, under special monitoring. The latest test results reflect a worrying long-term trend. A TOI report published on Jan 10 noted that drinking water samples in the district had shown the presence of faecal coliform for the fifth consecutive year. In 2025, 539 of the 2,003 samples tested — about 27% — failed to meet prescribed quality standards.
