Residents in Pune’s suburban areas are up in arms over contaminated water being linked to a recent increase in Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) cases. People living in areas like Nanded, Kirkatwadi, and Dhayari are expressing frustration over officials neglecting basic water safety measures, with some even questioning why the officials themselves don’t drink the same water they supply to residents.
The situation has become dire for some families, with one 21-year-old woman left paralyzed and receiving care at a government facility after private hospital bills became too expensive. Residents claim that the well in Nanded, which supplies water to several households, has been a source of contaminated water for years, with reports of dead animals, garbage, and dirty water being found in it.
Health workers deployed to the affected neighborhoods have reported a surge in complaints of diarrhoea, fever, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. In Kirkatwadi, nearly every household visited by health workers had someone experiencing these symptoms in recent weeks, raising concerns about the lack of proper water management since the area was merged with the Pune municipal corporation.
Doctors in the area have reported treating a high number of patients with diarrhoea and skin rashes, with over 100 cases recorded in one clinic by mid-January. In Dhayari, a large residential township, multiple GBS cases have been reported, with residents attributing the outbreak to water contamination.
Residents are calling for immediate action from authorities, with one resident highlighting the defunct water treatment facility in Dhayari that has been out of commission for 15 years. Health Minister Prakash Abitkar has acknowledged that a significant portion of Pune’s GBS cases have emerged from these suburban areas and emphasized the need to provide clean drinking water to prevent further health crises.
As pressure mounts on the Pune municipal corporation to address the issue of water contamination, residents are demanding accountability and swift action to safeguard their health and well-being.
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