Man dies, 60 hospitalised after drinking contaminated water

Hyderabad: One person died and nearly 60 others, including children, were hospitalised on Thursday after drinking contaminated water, at Vaddera basti in Madhapur. They complained of vomiting and diarrhoea.

The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) denied the charge of contamination, saying the drinking water was safe. However, an official admitted that there had been complaints with regard to the quality of water and the board had responded.

They said that the water samples had been sent for testing and reports are expected after 48 hours. It has not made any alternative drinking water arrangements for the residents.

Way back in May 2009, drinking contaminated water led to 14 deaths in Bholakpur. The deaths were caused after sewage water seeped into drinking water pipelines in the area.

V. Venkatamma said that her brother-in-law Bheemaiah, a labourer, died around 4 am on Thursday after he was rushed to a hospital.

“He had been suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea since Wednesday evening. Late in the night, he complained of body ache and weakness, following which he was hospitalised,” she said.

Residents complained that they were getting foul-smelling drinking water for the past one month. “When we complained to HMWS&SB staff, they asked us to let the water out for some time before collecting it,” they said.

Venkatamma said Bheemaiah’s two sons, Chinnu Babu and Paandu, aged two and nine years, respectively, have also been hospitalised.

Asked if the family had filed a police complaint, she said she had no faith in the police. “What will a complaint result in? No justice will be done,” she said.

“Upon receiving a complaint on contamination last month, we had addressed the issue. There was water and sewerage connection in the narrow roads,” said S. Rajashekar, general manager, operations and management, Hafeezpet division, HMWS&SB.

The official said a team of engineers inspected around 40 connections in the area on Thursday and that the water was found to be safe with a residual chlorine level of 0.5 parts per million as against the permissible range of 0.2 to two parts per million.

“To make sure the water quality is maintained thoroughly, we have collected water samples for a detailed investigation,” he added.