400 residents fall ill at Ghaziabad high rise, samples collected to check for contamination
According to residents, the situation worsened in the last three-four days when more people rapidly began falling ill.
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Residents claimed the society’s basement has had a persistent issue of waterlogging since they were handed over the flats. (Representational Image)Around 400 residents of a high-rise society in Ghaziabad began falling ill over the past 7-10 days, complaining of diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain and fever. They informed their local councillor Friday, who told the Chief Medical Officer. The health department has now collected around 15 water samples from Saya Gold Avenue and neighbouring societies to ascertain if there is contamination in the water supply.
“We collected samples from societies nearby as well because we wanted to ensure that the contamination had not spread. The reports will come in 48-72 hours,” said Ghaziabad Chief Medical Officer Bhavtosh Shakhdhar.
According to residents, the situation worsened in the last three-four days when more people rapidly began falling ill. “At first, we thought it was simply the change in weather and the heat,” said Tanushree Kaul, a resident. “However, more people began falling sick and a few were hospitalised,” she added.
Residents suspected that it could be a case of water contamination. “We think our water could have been contaminated because of a sewage pipe leak,” said Nitin, another resident.
On Friday and Saturday, the health department conducted a health camp for residents where prescriptions for antibiotics, electrolytes and pain medication were given.
Residents claimed the society’s basement has had a persistent issue of waterlogging since they were handed over the flats. However, whenever they raised the issue with the builders, they got no response. “We asked them repeatedly to form an Apartment Owners Association (AOA) but they refused to do so. They’re supposed to form an AOA and hand over the maintenance funds to it after 33% of flats have been occupied,” said Kaul, citing the Uttar Pradesh Apartment Act.
Kaul further alleged that the builders insisted that residents were falling ill due to heatstroke. “They refused to accept it even after we told them the water looked like mustard oil. We had to call the councillor and the CMO to get things done,” she claimed.
When contacted by The Indian Express, the Saya builders CEO declined to comment.
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