It is shocking but true that about half of the city's population has been drinking water having faecal contents, and even those living in the so-called posh areas are not exempted. According to the Institute of Public Health, waste discharged from bowels (faeces) has been found in about half of the drinking water samples collected from almost all parts of Lahore. The samples tested by the institute were sent to it by different agencies including the city district government during the first two weeks of the month. IPH's Epidemiologist Prof Farkhanda Kokab told Dawn that the institute had tested some 92 drinking water samples between May 1 and 15 and found faeces in 43 of them. "The presence of faeces in potable water is very dangerous and alarming. The authorities concerned must take a serious note of it and do the needful,' she said and further maintained that posh areas were no exception in this case. "The best solution to ensure the cleanliness of drinking water is to boil it,' she suggested. Punjab Environment Protection Department Director (Monitoring) Dr Shagufta Shahjahan told Dawn that the department carried out tests of drinking water samples collected from different parts of the province off and on. In Lahore, she said, 25 per cent water samples were found