AHMEDABAD, June 4: At least 50 people have fallen sick, seven of whom remain hospitalised, as severe vomiting and diarrhea due to water contamination in some housing societies in Ahmedabad prompted high-level intervention and issuance of clear directions to the Gujarat government to deploy all necessary resources on a “war footing.” The water contamination in Ghatlodia area of Ahmedabad city, caused by a pipeline breach, triggered memories of a recent water tragedy in Indore which claimed 22 lives.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is Lok Sabha MP from Gandhinagar seat, on Thursday spoke with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Ahmedabad Mayor Hitesh Barot to take stock of the situation. Ghatlodia falls under his parliamentary constituency.
Shah asked Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani and Health Department officials to deploy all necessary resources on a “war footing” to resolve the crisis and repair the infrastructure.
“Gandhinagar Lok Sabha MP and Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with the Gujarat Chief Minister and the Ahmedabad Mayor regarding the diarrhoea and vomiting situation that emerged in some societies of Gota Ward in the North-West Zone of Ghatlodia Assembly constituency in Ahmedabad,” a release from the ruling BJP said.
According to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), the outbreak stems from a breakdown in the local water and drainage pipelines that occurred on May 30. While Pani said on Wednesday that the fault was repaired immediately, residents allege that the contamination had already spread, leaving hundreds suffering over the last four days.
The scale of the outbreak remains under debate between officials and locals.
“Officials have taken preventive measures, conducted door-to-door surveys, carried out chlorine testing, and deployed medical teams in the area,” Dr Bhavin Solanki, Medical Officer of Health at the AMC, said and added that 19 water samples have been collected for testing.
“Seven of the 11 affected people remained hospitalised on Thursday,” he told PTI, adding that the situation was under control.
However, local residents gave a different picture with chairman of the Akanksha Apartment complex Rakesh Patel claiming that nearly 600 residents in his building alone experienced symptoms and many sought private medical care.
“My mother is currently receiving intensive care at Gurukrupa Hospital due to severe diarrhea and vomiting,” Patel said.
In response to the outbreak, the AMC has deployed teams of technical supervisors and engineers to inspect underground water tanks across various housing societies. The civic body has also begun cleaning contaminated tanks, supplying clean drinking water through tankers, and distributing chlorine tablets door-to-door.
The incident has caused widespread panic among locals, drawing sharp parallels to a devastating water contamination crisis in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, between December and January, where polluted water supply tragically claimed the lives of 22 people in the Bhagirathpura area. (PTI )
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