In the Kathmandu Valley, the delivery of water jars has become a symbol of everyday life. Whether in the narrow lanes of urban cities or the quiet villages on the outskirts, large blue or clear plastic jars sit on porches, kitchen counters and shop fronts. For the rich, poor and the middle class alike, jar water is not just a convenience—it’s a lifeline. Trusted as a safer alternative to tap water, these jars are seen as symbols of hygiene and modern living.
A recent investigation from the Lalitpur public health office has cast a disturbing shadow on the daily routine of jar water consumption. Out of 28 samples of jar water tested in the district, 11 tested positive for fecal coliform bacteria. The bacteria was also found in all water samples collected from Mahankal rural municipality-3 in Lalitpur district. Among them, five tap water samples tested positive for potentially deadly microbes.
According to a report published in Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS), the Baglung provincial public health office has detected coliform bacteria in 125 out of 341 water sources tested across all 10 municipalities of the district. Dilli Acharya, a lab technician, told RSS that they found 42 out of 106 drinking water sources in Jaymini municipality contaminated. Also, 40 out of 91 sources in Galkot municipality of the district tested positive for coliform bacteria.
Acharya added that last year, coliform was found in 103 sources, which has now increased to 125. “We will expand the scope of testing in all municipalities, as coliform has been found in many sources,” he told RSS.
Dr Kiran Tiwari, medical superintendent at Dhaulagiri provincial hospital, warned that drinking water contaminated with coliform can lead to serious health issues such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, jaundice, Hepatitis B, urinary tract infections and blood infections.
So, what is a workable solution to this problem? Water from affected sources should be boiled before drinking, said Dr Tiwari.
Harihar Sharma, deputy mayor of Jaymini municipality—which reported the highest contamination—told RSS that the municipality is “actively working” on cleaning and conserving the water sources. Fecal coliform is a type of bacteria that usually lives in the intestines of warm-blooded animals, including humans. These bacteria can come out through animal or human waste (feces) and sometimes end up in water. They are used as an indicator—meaning if these bacteria are found in water, it’s a sign that the water might be contaminated with feces, and possibly other harmful germs. Most of the time, these bacteria are not very dangerous, but their presence means that there could be other, more harmful bacteria, viruses or parasites in the water.
These samples were collected from water jars sourced from Gotikhel and Pandhere rivers, located in Godawari municipality and Mahankal rural municipality. “This contamination may be due to the rainy season and drainage system too,” according to Shree Bhadra Sharma, a lab technician at Public Health Lalitpur. “Bacterial contamination resulting from mixing rainwater with river water might have caused this. However, retests after 2-3 days found the contamination gone. The issue was temporarily settled.”
But the fact that contamination was found at all—especially in water meant for direct consumption—has raised a question across the valley. The discovery comes at a precarious time. Every monsoon, cases of cholera and diarrhea spike across the country, straining already overburdened public health systems.
According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 1,316 cholera cases were reported in fiscal year 2022-23 , the number slightly decreased to 1,016 in 2023-24 and surged to 2,373 in 2024-25. As for diarrhea, 227,485 cases were recorded in 2023-24 and 199,169 cases in 2024-25.
Not all cases can be directly linked to jar water, but the presence of fecal coliform in widely distributed drinking water raises red flags.
So, how do water jars end up in our homes? The Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC) is responsible for regulating and licensing water jar companies. In theory, companies must pass water quality tests and undergo site inspections before they can operate.
“We only approve the company license after a lab test of the water sample,” said Jyotsna Shrestha, senior food research officer at the DFTQC. “The site is inspected, and approval is given only after ensuring proper sanitation and source safety.”
But Shrestha admits to a key gap in the system. “We only test water quality after it reaches the market, not before packaging after giving the license.” That’s where the problem lies.
In short, companies might pass the initial test but face little routine monitoring afterward. This means water could be clean during licensing but contaminated by the time it reaches your home. Worse, many jar plants—especially smaller, unregistered ones—reportedly refill jars directly from natural sources like rivers or underground wells, often without sufficient filtration or disinfection.
The jars themselves are part of the problem. Made from polycarbonate plastic, these containers are meant to be reused multiple times—but only if they’re properly sterilized after each use. In practice, many facilities skip or rush the sterilization process. Some even reuse visibly discolored or damaged jars.
“The jar should be transparent,” said Shrestha. “That helps detect cleanliness and usage better than just counting how many times it’s reused.” But without standard labeling or usage tracking, there’s no way for consumers to know if the jar they’re drinking from has been safely sanitized—or simply refilled and resealed.
While municipalities have begun awareness campaigns, the response remains reactive rather than preventive. Testing is conducted every six months, once before the rainy season and another during the rainy season, said Sharma and “only when people raise concerns about the water.”
Tibrata Sharma from the Bhaktapur Health Office echoed similar concerns. “In Bhaktapur, we found fecal coliform in one of two companies tested. It could be due to the rainy season—or human behavior.”
Until these issues are addressed—through stricter regulation, more frequent testing and greater consumer awareness—the safety of jar water remains uncertain. Health experts now urge the public to boil jar water or use in-home filters, especially during the rainy season. It’s a precaution that could prevent illness—or even save lives. In a nation already overwhelmed by waterborne diseases, every drop should be clean.
