Water Crisis In Jammu: Over 65 Per Cent Samples Contaminated, Raising Health Concerns
Jammu faces a severe water crisis with over 65% of samples contaminated by E. coli, causing rising waterborne diseases and health risks.
By ETV Bharat Jammu & Kashmir Team
Published : March 4, 2026 at 2:45 PM IST
By Amir Tantray
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir is facing a growing water crisis, with persistent winter dry spells causing water scarcity, while contamination of drinking water is triggering outbreaks of water-borne diseases.
As per the data provided by the Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu, over 65 per cent of water samples collected from various places in Jammu province have been found contaminated and unsatisfactory for human use.
Data shows that out of 606 samples collected from various locations in the Jammu region between January 2025 and the first week of February 2026, 399 were found unsatisfactory. These samples were taken from schools, hotels, border areas, and Public Health Engineering (PHE) department installations.
During the testing, it was found that most of the water samples had harmful E. coli bacteria, due to which the water is “unfit for consumption". “This bacteria leads to waterborne diseases, and at times, there is a threat of outbreak as well,” a department official told ETV Bharat.
From January 2025 till the end of the year, a total of 502 samples were collected, of which 342 were found “unsatisfactory”. “In September, after floods had hit Jammu and Kashmir, the major contamination of water was found, as a total of 126 samples from all parts of Jammu province were collected, and 89 were found contaminated,” per the data.
Furthermore, it reveals that until February 8 this year, approximately 104 samples were collected and tested, with 57 found to be contaminated with E. coli bacteria.
E. coli bacteria are normally present in the faecal matter of humans, and officials believe that their presence in water may be due to sewage and animal waste inside the water bodies and natural sources of water. “Consumption of such contaminated water can lead to diarrhoea, typhoid, jaundice and other water-borne illnesses,” they said.
Even though the life of this bacterium is not long, its presence in the water has raised alarms about how it is being found everywhere. “There could be multiple reasons, which include damaged water supply pipelines, pipes passing through sewage channels and drains, industrial waste getting mixed up with the water, no plan to dispose of garbage and open defecation,” they said.
Water contamination in Jammu and Kashmir has led to a rise in water-borne diseases, with over 1.02 lakh cases recorded in 2023, increasing to 1.30 lakh in 2024. The number remained around 1.30 lakh in 2025. During these three years, approximately 25 deaths were reported, mostly caused by diarrhoea.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Head of GMC Jammu’s Microbiology Laboratory Dr Sandeep Dogra said, “We usually get suspicious samples in our lab when officials find that there is something wrong in the water. We can't generalise that all the sources of water are contaminated, and people are only consuming contaminated water. Officials bring water samples only after they find suspicion in it. After tests, they address the issue and return with another sample, which most of the time turns out to be satisfactory.”
He said that the water contamination issue mostly comes during and after monsoons, when water supply pipelines and other sources get damaged.
Also Read
