Arbout 26 per cent of the water samples collected by the Bathinda health authorities in eight months (between January and August) have failed the bacteriological test during first testing, conducted to check the presence of E-coli bacteria at the Public Health Lab, Chandigarh. The health authorities collected 393 water samples from various parts of the district during first eight months of this calendar year, of which 96 samples (about 26 per cent) failed the test.The results of 20 samples were awaited. After the failure of water samples, the health authorities got seven domestic water sources (three in Bathinda and four in Chughe Kalan village in Goniana block) closed during the first quarter of this calendar year. The water samples were collected from water sources of Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board (PWSSB), Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Department (RWSSD), local bodies, government schools, private schools and others, including reverse osmosis (RO) plants, hand pumps, ice factories, etc. Of the 96 failed water samples, four were collected from PWSSB water works, 21 from water works of RWSSD, five from local bodies, 33 from government schools, six from private schools and 27 from other sources. Fazilka: Of the five samples taken from government schools of flood-hit border villages, two were found unfit for drinking with high bacterial contamination and total dissolved solids. — OC