Amid surge in GBS cases in Pune, PMC says 19 private RO plants found to be supplying contaminated water

PMC chief says coliform bacteria, E. coli found in samples

Private RO plants are in the business of selling large capacity cans of water to citizens and commercial establishments like marriage halls, public functions and offices. (File Photo/Amit Chakravarty)

After finding out that contaminated water was being supplied by private water tanker service providers in a part of Pune that has witnessed a surge in Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) cases, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has identified 19 of 30 private reverse osmosis (RO) water plants in the affected area supplying cans of contaminated water.

After the GBS outbreak in Kirkatwadi and Nanded, the PMC began testing water samples from private water tanker service providers, private RO plants, RO water dispensing machines and water from the residences of GBS patients. “It has been found that 19 of 30 private RO plants or water ATMs had coliform bacteria and 14 of them also had E. coli. The water is contaminated and not safe for drinking,” said municipal commissioner Rajendra Bhosale.

Private RO plants are in the business of selling large capacity cans of water to citizens and commercial establishments like marriage halls, public functions and offices.

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Bhosale said it was necessary for owners of private RO plants and RO water ATM machines to take appropriate measures to check contamination and that the civic water supply department had a limited role to play in it. He added that the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) was informed about it and the PMC was exploring initiating legal action as per the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act against the private operators supplying contaminated water.

“There are no records of private RO plants or water ATMs in large numbers, mainly in areas that have been merged recently unde the civic body’s limits. Thus, there is a need for policy decisions on it,” said Nandkishore Jagtap, civic water supply department incharge.

Last week, the PMC administration had found bacterial contamination in samples collected from all the 15 private water tanker service providers in the GBS affected area that carry out a total of 800 trips in a day. The civic administration provided them with bleaching powder to disinfect the water and served notice to those who have failed to do so.

“The PMC only does chlorination of water before supplying it in Nanded, Kirkatwadi and other areas. However, the chlorination lasts for less time during the monsoon due to the muddiness in water and then there are chances of bacteria getting in the water, so it is necessary to construct a water treatment plant for the area at the earliest,” he said.

Ajay Jadhav

Ajay Jadhav is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, Pune. He writes on Infrastructure, Politics, Civic issues, Sustainable Development and related stuff. He is a trekker and a sports enthusiast. Ajay has written research articles on the Conservancy staff that created a nationwide impact in framing policy to improve the condition of workers handling waste. Ajay has been consistently writing on politics and infrastructure. He brought to light the lack of basic infrastructure of school and hospital in the hometown of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde even as two private helipads were developed by the leader who mostly commutes from Mumbai to Satara in helicopter. Ajay has been reporting on sustainable development initiatives that protects the environment while ensuring infrastructure development. ... Read More

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