Indian railway drinking water safety improvements

Indian railway networks are implementing large-scale initiatives to improve the quality and safety of drinking water provided at stations and depots.

Central Railway has launched a plan to install new filtration systems, water coolers, and monitoring equipment at approximately 20,000 points. This follows a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). In response to specific CAG observations regarding water samples at locations such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Kalyan, and Lonavala, the railway conducted physical, chemical, and bacteriological testing, reporting no E. coli or other bacteriological contamination. Recent testing drives involving 349 samples at locations including Bhiwandi Road confirmed no bacteriological contamination. Maintenance efforts have expanded to include repairing leaking pipelines, cleaning storage tanks, and installing mesh on vents and overflow pipes.

Simultaneously, South Eastern Railway (SER) has undertaken maintenance and cleaning of its water infrastructure, cleaning over 14,000 water tanks and identifying locations for infrastructure repairs.

Furthering these safety efforts, South Coast Railway (SCoR) conducted a week-long drive testing water quality at 3,441 locations across its four divisions. These tests, which covered stations, residential colonies, and hospitals, confirmed that all samples met safety standards for residual chlorine, bacteriological safety, and chemical parameters.