Residents of Subramanium chawl in Santacruz have been experiencing a host of symptoms such as loose motions, rashes, sleeplessness, vomiting, ringworm and migraines owing to the presence of E. coli and faecal matter in their water. Locals have been compelled to use hand pumps due to low water pressure. mid-day, on August 8, sent samples of water from the chawl for testing. Residents store the liquid in drums and wait for the black grain to settle down so they can use it for bathing and washing clothes. According to the lab results, which arrived on August 14, there were 300 units of E. coli in one millilitre of the water tested. While E. coli is not uncommon, according to microbiologists, the presence of faecal matter in water supplied by the civic body is almost unheard of.

According to experts, in general, out of approximately 50 water samples containing E. coli, only two will have 300, which is usually the amount seen in the water that gushes out of a tap in the first five minutes. “However, in this case, even after one hour of flow, the plate is full of E. coli,” said Rahul Yadav, a microbiologist at Agrobiomics Lab.