Water contamination spread diarrhoea in Adarsh Nagar, says laboratory report

Dera Bassi, July 11

All four water samples collected by the Health Department from Adarsh Nagar on July 5 have been found to be contaminated as per the reports.

As many as eight residents of Adarsh Nagar in Dera Bassi were taken ill on July 4 allegedly due to mixing of sewage in drinking water supply lines following which water samples were collected by the Health Department from the area.

The reports of the water samples tested by the health authorities, which came on Tuesday, found gross contamination of potable water. Earlier officials of the Municipal Council (MC) had denied that contamination of drinking water was the reason behind the people falling sick. The water supplied to the area was fit for drinking, they added.

District epidemiologist Deepti said reports of the four samples sent to the water testing laboratory stated that the contamination was due to sewage flowing into drinking water supply lines.

When contacted, Sukhjinder Singh Sidhu, Executive Officer (EO), Dera Bassi MC, said the problem in sewage pipeline had already been rectified. No other case of diarrhoea was reported from the area, he added. The EO maintained that the water was potable and the MC was conducting a thorough check of the distribution system. — OC