Diarrhoea Outbreak: Recurring phenomenon in Mohali; no lessons learnt

Gaurav Kanthwal

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Mohali, June 18

While the diarrhoea outbreak at Dhire Majra village of Lalru is the first such instance this year, outbreak of water-borne diseases is a recurring phenomenon in Mohali district.

Virtually all areas, urban and rural, have been affected by diarrhoea and cholera outbreaks in the district in recent years.

In 2022, five instances of diarrhoea outbreaks were reported from Kharar (2), Dhakoli (2) and Gharuan (1). A year earlier, three instances of diarrhoea outbreak (Dera Bassi, Dhakoli and Kurali) were reported, while four instances of cholera (three from Dhakoli and one from Dera Bassi) came to the fore.

Mohali Civil Surgeon Dr Mahesh Kumar Ahuja says: “When such symptoms are reported in masses during summer or monsoon season, it is generally due to diarrhoea. The main reason is water contamination.”

Old worn-out pipes, loose and illegal connections, variation in water pressure, and negligence in chlorination of main water sources have been attributed as the main causes of outbreaks in the district.

Sewage gets mixed with drinking water due to leakage in pipes. Every year, hundreds of residents of housing societies, particularly children and the elderly, fall ill due to the outbreaks. Uprooting and laying of new sewage lines, road repair, digging work of telecom cables also lead to contamination.

Officials say at Dhire Majra, loose connections are suspected to be the cause of the outbreak. Residents have taken connections from the main line in locality, which, in some cases, have been found not up to the mark, resulting in water contamination. Health Department officials say the situation becomes acute in summer and winter seasons.

Past incidents

• April 2022: 130 persons in Gazipur fall ill, hospitalised
• Oct 2021: 68 diarrhoea cases surface at Gaily Colony in Kurawala village of Dera Bassi
• Aug-Sept 2021: Two from Ekta Vihar, Baltana, ‘die’ of acute diarrhoea; 800 get symptoms in Baltana, Peer Muchalla and Dhakoli over two months
• June 2021: 90 taken ill at Badala village in Kharar