Four organisations representing survivors of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy on Friday, 31 July alleged that sewage-contaminated drinking water is being supplied to colonies surrounding the abandoned Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, pointing to a persistent failure of basic civic infrastructure that has compounded decades of suffering for affected residents.

What the Survey Found

The organisations released a report at a press conference stating that 43 of 63 drinking water samples collected from taps across 30 colonies this month tested positive for faecal coliform — a marker of sewage contamination. This means drinking water in 19 out of 30 communities surveyed was found to be contaminated with faecal matter, according to their findings.

Nawab Khan, president of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha, said the data pointed to a serious and ongoing public health crisis. 'We tested 63 water samples from taps in 30 communities this month, and the presence of faecal coliform was confirmed in 43 samples. There is clear evidence that drinking water supplied to 19 out of 30 communities is contaminated with faeces,' Khan said.

According to the report, 90 per cent of samples from areas receiving water from the Upper Lake tested positive for contamination, while 25 per cent of samples from areas supplied via the Kolar Dam source also failed the test.

The Infrastructure Gap Behind the Crisis

The organisations alleged that the absence of underground sewerage lines and adequate drainage systems has caused sewage to mix with drinking water pipelines. Residents in the affected colonies are reportedly being exposed to water-borne diseases including diarrhoea, vomiting, and typhoid as a result.

This comes against a backdrop of longstanding judicial intervention. The Supreme Court had directed authorities in 2004 to provide piped drinking water to residents after groundwater near the abandoned Union Carbide site was found to be contaminated with toxic chemicals. In 2018, the apex court further directed the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) to lay sewerage lines and improve drainage following complaints of faecal contamination in piped water supplies.

Eight Years of Unfulfilled Assurances

According to the survivor organisations, the BMC had assured the Supreme Court that the sewerage and drainage work would be completed within three months of the 2018 directive. More than eight years later, the project reportedly remains incomplete.

Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action said: 'We demand time-bound implementation of the sewerage and drainage project and an independent system to regularly monitor drinking water quality. People should not have to suffer because of the failure to provide basic civic amenities.'

Demands and the Road Ahead

The four organisations have collectively urged the Madhya Pradesh state government and the Bhopal Municipal Corporation to urgently complete the sewerage and drainage network and guarantee safe drinking water access across all affected colonies. They have also called for an independent, regular water quality monitoring mechanism to prevent further health risks.

With the Supreme Court's directives spanning two decades remaining only partially implemented, the episode raises sharp questions about accountability in one of the world's worst industrial disaster zones — and whether affected communities will continue to wait for remediation that has long been promised but not delivered.