📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Iamahumanbeing
Health
Ujjain borewell water found contaminated with E. coli, coliform and toxic chemicals, residents blame pharma firms
✍️ Amar Ujala · Madhya Pradesh
🗓 15 Nov 2026, 11:52 AM
👁 18
A laboratory test in Bhopal detected E. coli, coliform bacteria and hazardous chemicals in the borewell water of Parshwanath Colony, Ujjain, prompting locals to accuse pharmaceutical and chemical firms of illegal waste dumping.
Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh – Residents of Parshwanath Colony reported that water drawn from a local borewell tested positive for Escherichia coli, coliform bacteria and a range of toxic chemicals, according to a laboratory report issued by a Bhopal testing facility. The findings, released on Monday, indicate a serious breach of groundwater quality standards and raise public‑health concerns for the neighbourhood of roughly 2,000 households.
The Bhopal laboratory analysis identified the presence of E. coli and total coliform counts well above permissible limits set by the Central Pollution Control Board, alongside detectable levels of industrial chemicals typically associated with pharmaceutical waste. Local health officials have been alerted and are advising residents to avoid consumption of the borewell water until further notice.
In response, community members have staged a protest outside the municipal office, demanding an investigation into possible illegal discharge of hazardous waste by nearby pharma and chemical manufacturers. They allege that untreated effluents from these firms have seeped into the aquifer, contaminating the borewell that supplies drinking water to the colony.
The Ujjain municipal corporation has pledged to conduct a comprehensive survey of groundwater sources in the area and to provide alternative safe drinking water. Meanwhile, the state pollution control board has been asked to initiate a forensic audit of industrial discharge records to ascertain liability.
Authorities have not yet named any specific company, but the incident underscores growing concerns over industrial pollution and its impact on rural and semi‑urban water supplies across central India.
The Bhopal laboratory analysis identified the presence of E. coli and total coliform counts well above permissible limits set by the Central Pollution Control Board, alongside detectable levels of industrial chemicals typically associated with pharmaceutical waste. Local health officials have been alerted and are advising residents to avoid consumption of the borewell water until further notice.
In response, community members have staged a protest outside the municipal office, demanding an investigation into possible illegal discharge of hazardous waste by nearby pharma and chemical manufacturers. They allege that untreated effluents from these firms have seeped into the aquifer, contaminating the borewell that supplies drinking water to the colony.
The Ujjain municipal corporation has pledged to conduct a comprehensive survey of groundwater sources in the area and to provide alternative safe drinking water. Meanwhile, the state pollution control board has been asked to initiate a forensic audit of industrial discharge records to ascertain liability.
Authorities have not yet named any specific company, but the incident underscores growing concerns over industrial pollution and its impact on rural and semi‑urban water supplies across central India.