Traces of the virus that causes Covid-19 have been found in sewage water samples collected in Lucknow, officials have said. The process for the collection of sewage water has been initiated by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the country’s premier scientific body, and the World Health Organization (WHO) across several cities.

The Sars-CoV-2 virus was detected in wastewater samples from Rukpur Khadra in the Uttar Pradesh capital on May 19. Samples were collected from Ghantaghar and Machhli Mohal areas as well. Previously, the virus was detected in wastewater samples in Mumbai.

Lucknow’s Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) is among India’s eight centres earmarked for testing sewage water samples for traces of the virus. The Lucknow samples were studied at the SGPGI lab.