GBS outbreak in Pune: Private water tanker services found to be supplying contaminated water in city

“We were provided with samples from 15 private water tankers and tests have revealed the presence of bacteria in them. A report has been submitted to the civic water supply department,” said civic chemist Mandar Sirdeshpande, adding that the matter is of grave concern as many citizens availed of services from private water tankers.

Civic water supply department chief Nandkishore Jagtap said the administration had no information regarding the total number of private water tanker services in the city or the source they rely on. “A meeting of all private tanker services was convened but it was met with poor response. We are now serving notices to them and taking action as per instructions from higher authorities,” he said.

The private tanker service providers have now been requested to use disinfectants provided by the civic body till they are able to make their own arrangements, Jagtap added.

Sirdeshpande, meanwhile, said the testing of water samples from various localities indicated certain things. “We have noticed that many housing societies are not cleaning their water tanks. Many also mix the borewell water they get from private tankers with the water supplied by the civic body and it is evident from the test reports that these samples were collected from GBS-affected localities,” he said. The civic body is currently trying to create awareness among citizens about these issues.

Meanwhile, the civic water supply department supplied clean, treated water in GBS-affected areas of Kirkatwadi, Nanded, Nandoshi and Dhayari. Till now, these areas received only untreated water which was only chlorinated.

The administration also pointed out that increasing urbanisation was polluting the Khadakwasla dam from which the civic body draws the water required for the city.

The PMC has also appealed to citizens to test the water in their localities by sending samples to the civic laboratory. Citizens have to pay Rs 340 for testing the biological content of water and Rs 1,620 for a detailed chemical analysis.

Sirdeshpande, however, said that despite the outbreak, there wasn’t much of an increase in the water samples submitted for testing. “We get around 540 samples per day for testing as against 450 last year. The civic water supply department is also providing 100 samples a day since the GBS outbreak,” he said, adding the laboratory is short-staffed so they are working in two shifts.

“We test 18,000 samples every month,” said Sirdeshpande, adding that their “manpower has not increased in the last one and half decades.”

GBS is a rare neurological disorder triggered by viral and bacterial infection. Its symptoms include diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, nausea or vomiting.