IIT-G and JNU researchers find SARS-CoV-2 in water bodies at Ahmedabad

New Delhi: Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar and Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of Environment Science have detected the novel coronavirus in the Sabarmati river at Ahmedabad.

The COVID-19 causing virus was also found in the waters of the city’s Kankria and Chandola lakes.

The research team collected and tested water samples from these water bodies once every week between September and December 2020.

The researchers have concluded that the virus can survive in the waters for too long and hence have recommended the periodic testing of water from major water bodies in the country.

Karnataka had recently introduced a sewage surveillance system in its capital to detect potential SARS-CoV-2 clusters.