Pune: “Would Officials Drink This Well Water?” Residents Question Authorities in GBS Crisis

Khadakwasla, 28th January 2025: Residents in Pune’s suburban areas have expressed outrage over contaminated water being linked to the recent surge in Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) cases. During an inspection of a local well in Nanded, which supplies water to several households, community members criticized officials for neglecting basic water safety measures.

“Why don’t these officials drink the same water they supply to us?” said a visibly angry relative of a young GBS patient currently undergoing treatment at a city hospital. The patient, a 21-year-old woman, has been left paralyzed and is receiving care at a government-empaneled facility after private hospital bills became unaffordable for the family.

Residents claim the well has long been a source of contaminated water. “We’ve seen all sorts of filth in that well over the years—dead animals, garbage, and dirty water. It’s heartbreaking to see our children suffer because we don’t have access to clean water,” said another relative.

Areas such as Nanded, Kirkatwadi, and Dhayari have reported clusters of GBS cases. Health workers deployed to survey the affected neighborhoods reported a spike in complaints of diarrhoea, fever, and other gastrointestinal symptoms.

“In Kirkatwadi alone, nearly every household I visited had someone experiencing diarrhoea or related symptoms over the last few weeks,” said a health worker who has also fallen ill herself. She urged authorities to take immediate steps to address the situation.

Residents of Kirkatwadi have also pointed out the lack of proper water management since their area was merged with the Pune municipal corporation (PMC) over six years ago. “The earlier gram panchayat would regularly clean our water storage tanks, but since the merger, that hasn’t happened. The water we receive is often muddy or yellowish,” said a local resident whose family member is hospitalized with GBS.

A local doctor from the Kirkatwadi area reported treating an unusually high number of patients with diarrhoea and skin rashes starting from late December. “By mid-January, my small clinic had received over 100 cases with similar symptoms,” the doctor said, raising concerns about the role of water contamination in the outbreak.

In Dhayari, a large residential township, DSK Vishwa, has also been affected, with multiple GBS cases reported. A resident shared that his brother, who is on ventilator support due to GBS, was hospitalized after losing the ability to speak or move his arms. “We believe water contamination is the cause. So far, we’ve spent ₹5 lakh on his treatment,” he said.

The chairperson of a local water management committee in Dhayari highlighted the township’s outdated water treatment facility, which has been defunct for 15 years. “Repairing the treatment plant will require ₹30-40 lakh. Now that we’re under municipal limits, the civic body must step in to provide clean drinking water. We rely on tankers to meet daily demand for over 3,500 flats,” he explained.

During a visit to Nanded’s well, Health Minister Prakash Abitkar acknowledged that nearly 80% of Pune’s GBS cases have emerged from areas such as Dhayari, Kirkatwadi, Nanded, and Khadakwasla. “Whenever areas are merged with municipal bodies, issues like these are bound to occur. However, considering the severity of the situation, we must expedite the process of providing piped water to these newly merged localities,” he said.

With residents calling for swift action and accountability, the PMC faces mounting pressure to address water contamination and prevent further health crises.