Microbial assessment of bottled drinking water of Kathmandu valley

A significant proportion of bottled water brands in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, fail to meet international microbiological safety standards. The study found that 63.3% of samples exceeded acceptable heterotrophic bacterial counts (<50 CFU/ml), while 56.6% contained total coliforms (above WHO’s 0 CFU/ml threshold). Overall, 83.3% of brands were deemed unsafe for consumption due to microbial contamination. This research highlights a critical public health concern in the region, with potential implications for waterborne disease transmission. The study employed cross-sectional sampling of 30 commercial brands using membrane filtration and spread plate techniques to enumerate bacterial contaminants.

Timilshina, M., Dahal, I., & Thapa, B. (2013). Microbial assessment of bottled drinking water of Kathmandu valley. International Journal of Infection and Microbiology, 1(2), 84–86. https://doi.org/10.3126/ijim.v1i2.7399