Water contamination scare in Nagpur: 10 fall ill after drinking water from cracked pipeline in Saoner; samples sent for testing

NAGPUR: A contamination scare surfaced in Dhalgaon Khairi village of Saoner taluka, around 45km off Nagpur, where at least 10 residents fell ill due to a leak in drinking water pipeline. The village is located on the banks of Kanhan river. Mouza Dhalgaon Khairi has 376 households with a population of 1,692.District health officials said the leakage was detected on Jan 3 in a pipeline near the water tank adjoining the gram panchayat office. The gram panchayat carried out repairs the very next day. On the same day, another stretch of the water supply line was damaged when a tractor carrying an electric pole passed over it. Anticipating the risk of waterborne diseases, a team from primary health centre (PHC), Khapa, visited the village on Jan 4 and instructed the gram panchayat to undertake super-chlorination of the water supply using scientific methods. Water samples, bleaching powder samples, and OT tests were collected and sent to the laboratory for analysis.Continuous epidemic surveillance was conducted in the village between Jan 4 and 7. During this period, 10 residents with mild symptoms were identified and treated at home. No hospitalisation was required.Collector Vipin Itankar told TOI that the situation was quickly brought under control. "The leakage occurred on Jan 3 and about 8-9 people were affected initially.The damaged pipeline was replaced, and surveys covering over 800 residents were completed. Such leakages can occur due to wall or ground damage, but whenever there is a possibility of contamination, epidemic control measures are activated immediately," he said. Itankar added that medical facilities, including ambulances, were available in the area and all affected residents were stable.