Sewage contamination detected in 68% of water samples near Bhopal gas tragedy site, activists claim
Activists in Bhopal have alleged that 68% of water samples tested near the site of the 1984 gas tragedy are contaminated with sewage. They are calling for urgent government intervention to prevent health crises similar to past water-borne disease outbreaks.
Why it matters
The report highlights ongoing public health and environmental safety concerns in a historically vulnerable community.
A group of activists in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal on Friday (July 31, 2026) alleged that 68% of samples of the civic body-supplied drinking water in areas affected by the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy were found to be contaminated with presence of faecal coliform in tests conducted by the activists and residents of the area.
According to the activists from four organisations representing survivors, 63 samples were taken from 30 localities around the defunct Union Carbide factory, the site of the tragedy, and tested between July 2 and 22, of which 43 were found sewage-contaminated.
They alleged that the supply of contaminated water was creating a situation in the area similar to Indore’s Bhagirathpura, where government-supplied sewage-contaminated water claimed more than 35 lives in December, 2025 and January, 2026.
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