Alarmingly, almost 70 percent of the drinking samples taken from Kathmandu valley by the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, have been found contaminated with E coli and faecal coliform. Such contaminated water is highly risky to drink, and the majority of the valley’s people still remain vulnerable. “Intake of inadequately treated pipe water and untested jar water is prevalent among the residents of Kathmandu. Adding to that, Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited, which supplies water to households in the Valley, has yet to replace some of the decades-old supply lines,” says health expert and instructor Barsha Raut, at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EPCD) call center Kathmandu, under the Ministry of Health and Population.

With several cases of cholera already being detected in the city, the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control have been requested to keep checking the food quality of the dishes being served by the hotels and restaurants within the valley. Similarly, according to Balram Tripathi, chief of the health department of the metropolis, the water pipeline and sewerage system have also been ordered to be checked considering the present risky situation. As a precautionary action, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City has also decided to restrict the sale of street foods in the city. However the long term solution for the outbreak of infectious diseases is safe water supply and implementation of adequate sanitation practices.